Editing Joseph Lannin (section)

==Biography==
Lannin was born on April 23, 1866, in [[Lac-Beauport, Quebec|Lac-Beauport]], [[Canada East]] to John Lannin and Catherine Evans. His parents were Irish immigrants.<ref name=obit/> Orphaned at the age of 14, Lannin migrated from Quebec to [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], where he worked as a hotel [[bellboy]]. Penniless, he had remarkably made his way from Lac-Beauport to Boston on foot. He married Hannah Furlong and had two children, Paul Joseph Lannin and Dorothy A. Lannin.

{{multiple image
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| footer    = [[1916 World Series]]: Boston Red Sox (top image), Lannin (bottom image, pointing at camera)
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| image1    = Boston Red Sox in 1916.jpg
| image2    = Paul Lannin & Dorothy, Ban Johnson, J.J. Lannin & wife at the 1916 World Series.jpg
}}

Although he had limited education, Lannin was personable and possessed a quick mind. He soon learned about [[real estate]] and the [[Commodity market|commodities market]] by listening to conversations of the wealthy patrons at his hotel and taking advice from those who were willing to share their insights with him. A confident and knowledgeable Lannin invested his savings in the commodities market, making a small fortune. From there he began to acquire other businesses and eventually built an empire of hotels, apartment buildings, and golf courses.

On December 21, 1913, Lannin and a group of investors purchased 50% of the [[Boston Red Sox]] baseball team from [[Jimmy McAleer]] and [[Bob McRoy|Robert B. McRoy]]. In 1914, he became the sole owner of the Red Sox and in that same year he purchased the rights to bring [[Babe Ruth]] to Boston. The team went on to win the [[World Series]] in {{wsy|1915}} and {{wsy|1916}}.

Lannin sold the team in 1917 to [[Harry Frazee]] for $675,000.<ref name=obit/> He was quoted as saying, "I am too much of a fan to be an owner." With the profit made from the sale of his team, he continued to invest in real estate ventures all around Boston and across [[New York State]].

Lannin acquired [[Roosevelt Field (airport)|Roosevelt Airfield]] on [[Long Island]], where [[Charles Lindbergh]] began his [[Orteig Prize|historic transatlantic flight]]. Lannin provided Lindbergh with a room at his nearby hotel and watched the takeoff from Roosevelt Airfield on May 20, 1927.

Lannin died on May 15, 1928, aged 62, in [[Brooklyn]], having fallen or jumped from a window of a hotel that he owned;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90482029/ninth-story-drop-kills-j-j-lannin/ |title=Ninth-Story Drop Kills J. J. Lannin |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |page=1 |date=May 16, 1928 |accessdate=December 12, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> it was not known if he had a medical issue or died by suicide.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90484334/doubt-is-now-cast-on-lannin-suicide/ |title=Doubt is Now Cast on Lannin Suicide |agency=[[Associated Press|AP]] |newspaper=[[Nebraska State Journal]] |page=1 |date=May 16, 1928 |accessdate=December 12, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> At the time of his death, his estate was valued at $7,000,000.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=J.J. Lannin Killed By Fall At Hotel. Owner of Roosevelt Field and Other Hostelries Plunges Out Brooklyn Window. He Developed Babe Ruth. Garden City Hotel Proprietor Was Promoter of Flying and Golfing. Fortune Put at $7,000,000. Believes Death Was Accidental. Woman Saw Body Fall. ...|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E04E1D9113CE33ABC4E52DFB3668383639EDE |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 16, 1928 |page=16 |via=nytimes.com |url-access=limited |access-date=2015-01-16 }}</ref> He is interred at the [[Cemetery of the Holy Rood]], [[Garden City, New York]].

Lannin was inducted to the [[Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://baseballhalloffame.ca/hall-of-famer/joseph-lannin/ |title=Joseph Lannin |website=baseballhalloffame.ca |accessdate=December 12, 2021}}</ref>