Charles Weeghman

Charlie Weeghman (left) ,Weeghman Park, March 4, 1914..

"Charles H. ('Lucky Charlie') Weeghman (March 12, 1874– November 1, 1938) was one of the founders of the short-lived major league baseball organization called the Federal League (1914–1915). He had made a fortune in an early type of fast-food franchises in the Chicago area. ... Weeghman founded the Chicago Whales and built a new steel-and-concrete ballpark, Weeghman Park, for them to play in. He leased the land, the former site of the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, from Edward Archambault, for 99 years at a cost of $16,000 per year. Weeghman's lease forbade the use of the land for 'immoral or illegal purposes.' Weeghman chose the site, in part, because of the proximity of the 'L' tracks. After the Federal League folded, Weeghman bought majority control of the Chicago Cubs and oversaw their transfer from their wooden West Side Park to the new stadium."
Wikipedia

A new basepark, Dec. 11, 1913

The Federal League Challenges the Reserve Clause
"All of the elements of high courtroom drama were present in the late winter and early spring of 1914 in what is now known as the Cook Auditorium on the second floor of the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Charles Weeghman and his partners, owners of the Chicago Whales baseball team in the 'outlaw' Federal League, commenced an action in equity in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan to enjoin William 'Reindeer Bill' Killefer from playing catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League during the upcoming season. Killefer had originally signed a contract with the Phillies for the 1914 season that contained a "reserve clause" but then jumped leagues when the Whales made a more lucrative offer. Not to be outdone, the Phillies enticed Killefer to rejoin the team with an even better contract offer, leaving the Whales beached without a catcher."
EFQ Review

James A. Gilmore, Federal League; Charles Weeghman

Weathering Spring Training: The Chicago Federals in Shreveport, Louisiana, 1914
"Someone should have told Charles H. Weeghman to be 'careful of what you wish for,' because wishes sometimes come true. Weeghman found fame and fortune in turn-of-the-century Chicago with a chain of downtown quick-lunch restaurants. Like many of his contemporaries, he itched to be involved in the world of sports, and after a few early bumps, became in 1914 perhaps the key backer in the Federal League, which was moving from small minor league to “major.” He was rich, he was ambitious, and he often thought with his heart instead of his head. The story of Weeghman’s Horatio Alger-like rise to fame and fortune, told in newspapers across the country, was a popular feature of Federal League promotion. Charlie crafted his life story with a heavy dose of revisionism when he said he arrived in Chicago with only a few dollars in pocket and, without much help, rose to millionaire status in little more than a decade; in reality, his wife provided much of the brains of the operation."
SABR

Opening Day, April 23, 1914

Opening Up Weeghman Park (Wrigley Field) in 1914
"The Chicago Federals were the home team on April 23, 1914, when Weeghman Park hosted its first game. Where were the Cubs? At West Side Park, playing the Cincinnati Reds–they didn’t move over to Weeghman until mid-1916. And Weeghman didn’t become known as Wrigley until 1926. It was called Cubs Park from 1920 through 1925. Anyway, on April 23, the Federals (a Federal League team, of course, who were later named the Whales), were playing against the Kansas City Packers. The Feds had opened the season by losing five of their first seven games. Here’s some of how the Chicago Tribune described opening day..."
Misc. Baseball