Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JAY WEBBER
District 26 (Essex, Morris and Passaic)
Assemblywoman ELIANA PINTOR MARIN
District 29 (Essex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen N.Munoz, Murphy, Assemblyman Caputo, Assemblywomen Stanfield, Tucker, Assemblyman Verrelli, Assemblywoman McKnight, Assemblyman Conaway, Assemblywoman Carter, Assemblymen DiMaio, Scharfenberger, Holley, Thomson, Freiman, Rooney, Giblin, Peterson, Assemblywomen Vainieri Huttle and DiMaso
SYNOPSIS
Respectfully urges National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum induct Joan Whitney Payson into Hall of Fame.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Assembly Resolution respectfully urging the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to induct Joan Whitney Payson into the Hall of Fame.
Whereas, Joan Whitney Payson was born on February 5, 1903, in New York City, was a member of the prominent Whitney family, and the granddaughter of former Secretary to President Abraham Lincoln and United States Secretary of State John Hay; and
Whereas, An avid sports enthusiast, Mrs. Payson operated the highly successful Greentree Stable, winning numerous notable graded stakes races, including the Kentucky Derby twice, the Preakness Stakes once, and the Belmont Stakes four times; and
Whereas, Mrs. Payson purchased a minority stake in the New York Giants, which she sold when the team moved to San Francisco in 1957; and
Whereas, After the Giants’ departure, Mrs. Payson spearheaded the effort to return National League baseball to New York, and in 1962, she became the majority owner of the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, the “Mets”; and
Whereas, Mrs. Payson was the first woman to buy majority control of a team in a major North American sports league; and
Whereas, Mrs. Payson served as the team’s first president from 1962 to 1975, overseeing the Mets’ first of two World Series Championships in 1969, a team often known as the “Miracle Mets” because of its perceived underdog status; and
Whereas, Active in the affairs of her “Amazin’ Mets,” Mrs. Payson was much admired by the team's personnel and players and was inducted posthumously into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1981; and
Whereas, In addition to her work in baseball, Mrs. Payson was a prominent philanthropist, including establishing the “Helen Hay Whitney Foundation” for medical research and, together with her husband, providing funds to build Pepperdine University’s library; and
Whereas, Despite the numerous contributions by women to the game of baseball, only one woman, out of 333 total inductees, has been inducted into the Hall of Fame; and
Whereas, The Golden Days Era Committee was established by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Board of Directors in 2016 to consider Hall of Fame candidates whose primary contributions to the game came from 1950 to 1969; and
Whereas, Mrs. Payson’s contributions to Major League Baseball during that period, including owning a minority stake in the New York Giants, co-founding the New York Mets, and winning the 1969 World Series Championship, make her more than qualified for induction into the Hall of Fame through the Golden Days Era Committee, which next meets to consider candidates in the fall of 2021; and
Whereas, In light of Mrs. Payson’s extraordinary achievements and contributions to baseball, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the Golden Days Era Committee should strongly consider and ultimately induct Joan Whitney Payson as part of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully urges the Golden Days Era Committee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to induct Joan Whitney Payson into the Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2022 for her extraordinary achievements and contributions to Major League Baseball.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, the President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and to the family of Joan Whitney Payson.
STATEMENT
This resolution respectfully urges the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to induct Joan Whitney Payson into the Hall of Fame.
Mrs. Payson was instrumental in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB) from the 1950s to the 1970s. Following the New York Giants’ decision to move the franchise to San Francisco in 1957, Mrs. Payson, who was a minority stakeholder at the time, sold her stake in the team and spearheaded an effort to create a new franchise for New York City. In 1962, Mrs. Payson co-founded the New York Mets to compete in the National League of MLB. Mrs. Payson would serve as the team’s president from 1962 to 1975. She was the first woman to buy majority control of a team in a major North American sports league.
Mrs. Payson was deeply involved in all aspects of the franchise and much admired by the team's personnel and players. In 1969, in just their 8th season in existence, the Mets would win their first of two World Series Championships. The 1969 team became known as the “Miracle Mets” because of their perceived underdog status against the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles. Mrs. Payson continued to serve as president of the Mets until her death in 1975.
Despite the numerous contributions by women to the game of baseball, only one woman, out of 333 total inductees, has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Golden Days Era Committee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 2016 to consider Hall of Fame candidates whose primary contributions to the game came from 1950 to 1969. Mrs. Payson’s contributions to Major League Baseball during that period make her more than qualified for induction through the Golden Days Era Committee, which next meets to consider candidates in the fall of 2021. Based off of these qualifications, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the Golden Days Era Committee should strongly consider and ultimately induct Joan Whitney Payson as part of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022.