Horace Charles Stoneham (27 April 1903 – 7 January 1990) was a Major League Baseball executive and the owner of the New York and San Francisco Giants from 1936 to 1976.
He was elected to The Lambs in 1939, joining other Giants legends such as Hall of Fame manager John J. McGraw.
Inheriting the Giants, one of the flagship franchises of the National League, from his father, Charles, in 1936, he oversaw four pennant-winning teams in his first two decades as owner. Then, in 1958, he moved the Giants from New York City to San Francisco, one of two National League owners to bring Major League Baseball to the lucrative West Coast territory. Although the Giants won only one pennant (1962) and one division title (1971) in their first 15 years after moving to the Bay Area, they were a consistent contender that featured some of the era’s biggest stars. But, during the mid-1970s, they declined in on-field success and suffered significant attendance losses, forcing Stoneham to sell the team in 1976.
Stoneham was born in Newark, New Jersey, and educated at the Hun School of Princeton and the Trinity-Pawling School. He briefly attended Fordham University, but soon dropped out to work in a copper mine in California and begin, at his father’s insistence, his apprenticeship as a baseball executive and future owner.
He worked on the Giants’ grounds crew and in their ticket office, then moved into their front office. When, at age 32, he succeeded to the team presidency on his father’s death in January 1936, Stoneham became the youngest club owner in National League history.
He died at age 86 in Scottsdale, Arizona, on 7 January 1990.