27 Facts About Ewing Kauffman

Ewing Marion Kauffman was an American pharmaceutical entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Major League Baseball owner.

Ewing Kauffman was born on September 21,1916, on a farm near Garden City, Missouri.

When Kauffman was a child, his father was in a farming accident which left him blind in his right eye.

In later years, Ewing Kauffman believes his success in the pharmaceutical business stemmed from his ability to read quickly.

Ewing Kauffman lived with his mother, and his father remained active in his life.

Ewing Kauffman was an active youth who participated in various sports, and performed very well in school.

Ewing Kauffman was an Eagle Scout and later, in adulthood, was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.

Ewing Kauffman graduated from Kansas City's Westport High School in 1934 and later attended Kansas City Junior College, He received his associate degree in Business Management.

In 1942, Ewing Kauffman joined the military and served in the US Navy as a signalman.

Ewing Kauffman served in both Europe and the Philippines; after his discharge in 1945, he returned to Kansas City.

In 1947, Ewing Kauffman became a commissioned salesman for Lincoln Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company based in Decatur, Illinois.

Ewing Kauffman earned a 20 percent commissions on his sales, and eventually earned more than the president of the company.

Ewing Kauffman became angry with the company and left in 1950 after it decreased his sales territory and cut his commission.

Ewing Kauffman was originally run out of his house, and there were four employees, consisting of Kauffman and his close friends.

Ewing Kauffman reportedly chose to use his middle name, rather than his surname, in order to not appear to be a one-man operation.

Ewing Kauffman wanted to help young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, get a quality education that would enable them to reach their full potential.

Ewing Kauffman saw building enterprise as one of the most effective ways to realize individual promise and spur the economy.

Today, the mission of the Ewing Kauffman Foundation follows his vision by focusing its grant making and operations on two areas: advancing entrepreneurship and improving the education of children and youth.

Ewing Kauffman hired Cedric Tallis as the first general manager for the team, as he liked what he saw from Tallis when he was an executive of the Los Angeles Angels during their process of becoming a team in 1961.

Ewing Kauffman entertained the notions of Earnshaw Cook, an early researcher and proponent of sabermetrics.

Ewing Kauffman had planned to sell the team by the 1980s.

Ewing Kauffman had tried to sell a significant interest in the club to Michael Shapiro in the winter of 1982.

Ewing Kauffman sold a minority stake to Avron D Fogelman with an option for Fogelman to buy enough to be majority owner in 1991, but Fogelman had financial trouble that led him to sell back to Kauffman in 1990.

David Glass, who became the interim CEO and chairman of the Royals when Ewing Kauffman died, would eventually purchase the team and become its new owner in 2000.

On November 8,2007, Ewing Kauffman was nominated to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the 2008 class; but was not elected.

In 1988, Ewing Kauffman launched Project Choice to the Westport High School Class of 1992.

Ewing Kauffman's remains are interred at the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden next to the remains of his wife, who died in 1995.