Ewing Kauffman

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Kauffman was born in Garden City, Missouri, and grew up in Kansas City after his father's farming accident on a farm near Holden, Missouri. He served in the U.S. Navy as a pharmacist's mate primarily in the Pacific during World War II. After working as a salesman for Lincoln Laboratories, he founded Marion Laboratories with a $5,000 investment, which later merged to form Marion Merrell Dow. He established the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in the mid-1960s. In 1968, he became owner of the Kansas City Royals expansion team, hiring Cedric Tallis as general manager. The Royals opened Royals Stadium in 1973, won their first division title in 1976, a pennant in 1980, and the World Series in 1985. They reached the postseason seven times in 24 full seasons (1969–1992) under his ownership. Kauffman died of bone cancer at his home in Mission Hills, Kansas, in 1993.

In Their Own Story

On April 10, 1973, Royals Stadium opened to host the city's new era of baseball. The facility featured a privately funded fountain system that was among the largest in the world, a testament to Kauffman's desire to create a premier environment for fans and players alike. Just months later, the stadium hosted the 1973 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The team's journey was not immediate; despite his five-year pennant goal, they secured their first division title only in 1976. However, persistence paid off when they won a pennant in 1980 and finally captured the World Series five years later. By 1990, facing reported losses of $7 million, Kauffman advocated for revenue sharing. In April 1993, anticipating his death from bone cancer, he announced a succession plan ensuring the team would be funded for eight years after his passing, owned by local Kansas City charities and governed by a board searching for a new resident owner who agreed not to move the team.

Reader's Guide

Ewing Kauffman was a pharmaceutical entrepreneur who founded Marion Laboratories and later owned the Kansas City Royals. He established the Kauffman Foundation to support entrepreneurship and education. The Royals won the World Series in 1985, their last playoff appearance under his ownership. Kauffman Stadium was named after him in 1993.

Did You Know?

• Kauffman taught himself speed reading at age 11 after a heart condition kept him out of school for a year.
• He earned more as a salesman for Lincoln Laboratories than the company's president.
• Marion Laboratories created more than 300 millionaires after its merger.
• Kauffman launched Project Choice in 1988, funding post-secondary education for students who met certain criteria.
• He was an Eagle Scout and later received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.

Early Life and Educational Foundations

Ewing Kauffman was born on September 21, 1916, on a farm near Garden City, Missouri, to German-American parents John S. Kauffman and Effie May Winders. His childhood resilience was shaped by his father's farming accident, which left him blind in his right eye and prompted the family's relocation to Kansas City, where his father worked as a life insurance salesman. At age 11, Kauffman missed school for a year due to a heart valve that would not close completely; during this time, he taught himself speed reading, consuming one to two books daily. He later credited this ability as the root of his pharmaceutical success. His parents divorced in 1928 when he was 12; he lived with his mother but remained active with his father, competing in arithmetic games using license plate numbers. An active youth and Eagle Scout, he graduated from Westport High School in 1934 and earned an associate degree in Business Management from Kansas City Junior College.

Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurship and Success

Kauffman's career began in the military when he joined the U.S. Navy as a signalman in 1942, serving in Europe and the Philippines until his discharge in 1945. In 1947, he became a commissioned salesman for Lincoln Laboratories in Decatur, Illinois, earning a 20 percent commission that eventually exceeded the president's salary. He left in 1950 after the company reduced his territory and cut his commission. With a $5,000 investment, he formed Marion Laboratories, running it from his house with three close friends. He chose to use his middle name "Marion" rather than his surname to avoid appearing as a one-man operation. By 1988, revenues reached $930 million before the company merged with Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals to form Marion Merrell Dow, where Kauffman became chairman emeritus. This sale created more than 300 millionaires.

Revitalizing Kansas City Baseball

After thirteen years in Kansas City, the Athletics moved to Oakland following the 1967 season. Inspired by his wife, Kauffman led the effort for an expansion team, announced as owner on January 11, 1968. He hired Cedric Tallis as the first general manager, valuing his experience with the Los Angeles Angels in 1961. Described as "too far too ahead of his time," Kauffman set a goal for a pennant in five years and established the Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy in 1971, which closed three years later due to costs. He supported early sabermetrics proponent Earnshaw Cook. On April 10, 1973, Royals Stadium opened with a privately funded fountain system among the largest in the world, hosting the All-Star Game that same year. The team won its first division title in 1976, a pennant in 1980, and the World Series five years later. They reached the postseason seven times in 24 full seasons (1969–1992).

Philanthropy and Enduring Legacy

Kauffman established the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in the mid-1960s to fundamentally change lives through education and entrepreneurship, focusing on disadvantaged youth. He saw building enterprise as a way to spur the economy. In baseball ownership, he planned to sell by the 1980s but faced setbacks: Michael Shapiro could not secure a deposit for a significant interest in 1982, and Avron D. Fogelman's minority stake option failed due to financial trouble, reverting to Kauffman in 1990. Reported to have lost $7 million that year, he advocated for revenue sharing. In April 1993, he announced a succession plan where the team would be owned by local Kansas City charities after his death, with a board searching for a new resident owner who agreed not to move the franchise for eight years. He died on August 1, 1993, from bone cancer at age 76. In 2007, he was nominated for the Baseball Hall of Fame but not elected; he was later inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.