Calvin Griffith
A shrewd, old-school baseball lifer who uprooted a franchise for a better market, building a winner but leaving a complicated legacy.
1911–1999 (age 88)·American baseball team owner·Birthday: December 1·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Calvin Griffith operated in baseball's rough-and-tumble, pre-corporate era. Adopted and raised by his uncle, legendary Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith, he learned the game from the ground up, doing every job from ticket-taker to scout. When he inherited the struggling Senators in 1955, he saw a sinking ship in Washington and boldly steered it to Minnesota in 1961, betting on the untapped passion of the Midwest. His hands-on, often parsimonious, management was a throwback; he famously negotiated contracts over drinks and valued loyalty above all. The move north paid off, as he built the Twins into American League champions by 1965, fueled by homegrown stars like Harmon Killebrew. Yet his tenure was marred by a notorious 1978 speech where he crudely explained the move was for financial reasons related to demographics, a moment that stained his reputation. He remained the last owner whose sole income was his team, a dinosaur in the sport's rapidly modernizing landscape.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Calvin was born in 1911, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Calvin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1911
Calvin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1911Born
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1916Started school
The Battle of the Somme claims over a million casualties
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Became a teenager
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1927Could drive
Lindbergh flies solo across the Atlantic; The Jazz Singer premieres
President: Calvin Coolidge"My Blue Heaven" — Gene Austin
1929Could vote
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1932Turned 21
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1941Turned 30
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1951Turned 40
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 50
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 60
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 70
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 80
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1999Died at 88
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
Key Achievements
- Orchestrated the relocation of the Washington Senators to Minnesota in 1960, creating the Minnesota Twins franchise.
- As owner and president, built the Twins team that won the American League pennant in 1965.
- Was known for his sharp eye for talent, overseeing the development of Hall of Famers like Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew.
- Remained the active president and majority owner of the Twins for nearly 30 years, from 1955 to 1984.
Did You Know?
He was born Calvin Griffith Robertson in Montreal, Canada.
He was a master of 'baseball-ese,' known for malapropisms and colorful phrases like 'hard-slugging double'.
He once traded a player because he didn't like the man's wife.
For years, he would personally hand out Christmas turkeys to his players and staff.
“I'll tell you why we came to Minnesota. It was when I found out you only had 15,000 blacks here.”
