| Joseph J. Lannin, Owner/President The Boston Red Sox 1914-1916 |
Joseph J. Lannin was a penniless dreamer who was orphaned at the age of 14, but
despite losing his family and not having a formal education he was able to realize
his American Dream. Mr. Lannin walked from Quebec, Canada after his parents
death in search of a better life in the U.S. His travels brought him to Boston where
he worked as a bellhop for the Old Adams House. He earned $3 a week salary plus
tips. In order to achieve his American Dream, Mr. Lannin learned about business
from patrons of the hotel that were willing to share their knowledge with him.
Through the mentors that he met he learned about real estate and the commodities
market.
Mr. Lannin saved his earnings in a sock that he kept in his dresser drawer and he
eventually moved up into management at the hotel. Then, he decided to take his
savings and invest it in the coffee market. With a little luck-and fate, he almost
cornered the market and his investment brought a major return on his investment.
With his new-found financial success, Mr. Lannin purchased The Boston Red Sox
baseball team in 1914 and in that same year he purchased the rights to bring Babe
Ruth from Baltimore to Boston. With Babe Ruth on his team, Mr. Lannin saw another
dream of his realized when The Boston Red Sox won the World Series Title in 1915
and 1916-the most wins of any Red Sox owner in history. He was also owner of The
Providence Grays, Buffalo Bisons and Syracuse Stars minor league teams.
The Boston Red Sox 1915
Joseph J. Lannin with his son Paul in the last row wearing suits
Photo courtesy of National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, N.Y.
The Boston Red Sox 1916
The Boston Red Sox 1916
George Herman “The Babe” Ruth front row, 4th from left
Photo courtesy of National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, N.Y.
In 1917, Mr. Lannin sold the team to Harry Frazee who decided to sell Babe Ruth to
the Yankees after the 1918 World Series victory for $125,000. The legendary "Curse
of the Bambino" then began and haunted the Red Sox for the next eighty-six years
until 2004. Many believed the curse was that of the Bambino, while others thought it
was the "Lannin Curse."
With profit made from selling his team, Mr. Lannin continued to invest in real estate
ventures. He was already operating The Garden City Hotel in Long Island, New York,
and he began purchasing other properties including large tracts of property in New
York City, The Balsams Hotel in Dixville Notch, NH and Roosevelt Field in Long
Island, NY.
As the operator of the Garden City Hotel and Roosevelt Field, Mr. Lannin met with
Charles A. Lindbergh and gave him lodging before his historic transatlantic flight.
Mr. Lindbergh took off from Mr. Lannin's Roosevelt Field on May 20, 1927 and
became known as "The Cradle of Aviation."
Charles Lindbergh and the "Spirit of St. Louis"
With money that Mr. Lannin made in his business ventures, he became a
philanthropist to local churches and community people. Christopher Tunstall, Mr.
Lannin's great-grandson, was inspired by Mr. Lannin's life because he saw a man
that not only overcame tremendous obstacles to achieve his personal dreams, but
he also became a role model for Mr. Tunstall and people like Babe Ruth and
Charles Lindbergh to follow their own dreams.
Joseph J. Lannin died on May 15, 1928 under mysterious circumstances when he
fell from the ninth-floor window of The Granada Hotel (another of his real estate
holdings), in Brooklyn, New York, suffering a crushed skull that led to instant death.
Since Mr. Lannin was worth an estimated $7 to $8 million dollars, suicide was ruled
out. Instead, his death was ruled accidental by one medical examiner while another
assistant medical examiner felt that he may have been killed at the hands of
another. One of the reasons for a possible murder plot was the stature of Mr. Lannin
and the small, French style windows that adorned The Granada Hotel. The
assistant medical examiner felt that there was no way with Mr. Lannin’s broad
shoulders and height that he could have fallen out of the window because one side
of the small window opened inward while the other opened outward.
The untimely death of Mr. Lannin set in action a chain of events that have led Mr.
Tunstall to believe that there is a curse haunting the Lannin and Tunstall families.
For this reason, The Joseph J. Lannin Project was designed to restore honor and
recognition to Mr. Lannin in the hopes of removing the curse and bringing peace to
his family. About The Joseph J. Lannin Project
despite losing his family and not having a formal education he was able to realize
his American Dream. Mr. Lannin walked from Quebec, Canada after his parents
death in search of a better life in the U.S. His travels brought him to Boston where
he worked as a bellhop for the Old Adams House. He earned $3 a week salary plus
tips. In order to achieve his American Dream, Mr. Lannin learned about business
from patrons of the hotel that were willing to share their knowledge with him.
Through the mentors that he met he learned about real estate and the commodities
market.
Mr. Lannin saved his earnings in a sock that he kept in his dresser drawer and he
eventually moved up into management at the hotel. Then, he decided to take his
savings and invest it in the coffee market. With a little luck-and fate, he almost
cornered the market and his investment brought a major return on his investment.
With his new-found financial success, Mr. Lannin purchased The Boston Red Sox
baseball team in 1914 and in that same year he purchased the rights to bring Babe
Ruth from Baltimore to Boston. With Babe Ruth on his team, Mr. Lannin saw another
dream of his realized when The Boston Red Sox won the World Series Title in 1915
and 1916-the most wins of any Red Sox owner in history. He was also owner of The
Providence Grays, Buffalo Bisons and Syracuse Stars minor league teams.
The Boston Red Sox 1915
Joseph J. Lannin with his son Paul in the last row wearing suits
Photo courtesy of National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, N.Y.
The Boston Red Sox 1916
The Boston Red Sox 1916
George Herman “The Babe” Ruth front row, 4th from left
Photo courtesy of National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, N.Y.
In 1917, Mr. Lannin sold the team to Harry Frazee who decided to sell Babe Ruth to
the Yankees after the 1918 World Series victory for $125,000. The legendary "Curse
of the Bambino" then began and haunted the Red Sox for the next eighty-six years
until 2004. Many believed the curse was that of the Bambino, while others thought it
was the "Lannin Curse."
With profit made from selling his team, Mr. Lannin continued to invest in real estate
ventures. He was already operating The Garden City Hotel in Long Island, New York,
and he began purchasing other properties including large tracts of property in New
York City, The Balsams Hotel in Dixville Notch, NH and Roosevelt Field in Long
Island, NY.
As the operator of the Garden City Hotel and Roosevelt Field, Mr. Lannin met with
Charles A. Lindbergh and gave him lodging before his historic transatlantic flight.
Mr. Lindbergh took off from Mr. Lannin's Roosevelt Field on May 20, 1927 and
became known as "The Cradle of Aviation."
Charles Lindbergh and the "Spirit of St. Louis"
With money that Mr. Lannin made in his business ventures, he became a
philanthropist to local churches and community people. Christopher Tunstall, Mr.
Lannin's great-grandson, was inspired by Mr. Lannin's life because he saw a man
that not only overcame tremendous obstacles to achieve his personal dreams, but
he also became a role model for Mr. Tunstall and people like Babe Ruth and
Charles Lindbergh to follow their own dreams.
Joseph J. Lannin died on May 15, 1928 under mysterious circumstances when he
fell from the ninth-floor window of The Granada Hotel (another of his real estate
holdings), in Brooklyn, New York, suffering a crushed skull that led to instant death.
Since Mr. Lannin was worth an estimated $7 to $8 million dollars, suicide was ruled
out. Instead, his death was ruled accidental by one medical examiner while another
assistant medical examiner felt that he may have been killed at the hands of
another. One of the reasons for a possible murder plot was the stature of Mr. Lannin
and the small, French style windows that adorned The Granada Hotel. The
assistant medical examiner felt that there was no way with Mr. Lannin’s broad
shoulders and height that he could have fallen out of the window because one side
of the small window opened inward while the other opened outward.
The untimely death of Mr. Lannin set in action a chain of events that have led Mr.
Tunstall to believe that there is a curse haunting the Lannin and Tunstall families.
For this reason, The Joseph J. Lannin Project was designed to restore honor and
recognition to Mr. Lannin in the hopes of removing the curse and bringing peace to
his family. About The Joseph J. Lannin Project
| Please note that donations are not tax-deductible. |
©2005-08 Christopher Lannin Tunstall. All Rights Reserved.
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The Joseph J. Lannin Project |
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