Fred Saigh

[2] At the end of the 1947 baseball season, Saigh got wind that longtime Cardinals owner Sam Breadon wanted to sell.

Saigh persuaded Breadon to sell the Cardinals to him, with the assurance that he wouldn't have to pay taxes on his $5 million fund.

Hannegan was a prominent St. Louis businessman, former United States Postmaster General, and confidante of President Harry Truman.

The Cardinals, though then just one year removed from their ninth National League pennant and sixth World Series championship since 1926, had begun to decay as an organization.

Five years before, Breadon had forced out legendary general manager Branch Rickey, who had quickly resurfaced with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

[3] He served six months at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, leaving in November 1953 when he was given parole for good behavior.

It has long been claimed that Anheuser-Busch president Gussie Busch persuaded Saigh that civic pride was more important than money.

In truth, according to Anheuser-Busch historian William Knoedelseder, Saigh had preferred from the beginning to sell to a local buyer, and was willing to accept any credible offer from interests who would keep the team in St.

After his release from prison, Saigh resumed his career in private business, amassing a large amount of stock in Anheuser-Busch — becoming the largest shareholder outside the Busch family itself.

Saigh wrote an open letter dated August 20, 1964, three weeks before the Cardinals made their improbable comeback to overtake the Philadelphia Phillies and win the World Series.