Leon Hess
Leon Hess (March 13, 1914 – May 7, 1999) was the founder of the Hess Corporation and the owner of the New York Jets.
[edit] Biography
Hess was born on March 13, 1914. His father was a Russian immigrant who worked as an oil delivery man in Asbury Park, New Jersey during the Great Depression.[1]
He married Norma around 1945 and they had three children: Marlene Hess, Connie Hess, and John B. Hess.
He acquired Amerada Corporation in 1969 where he was chairman and CEO till 1995.
He was part of a consortium that bought the New York Jets in 1963.
He bought out his partners: Sonny Werblin and Phil Iselin, in 1977 to become the sole owner. The Jets played in Shea Stadium in 1964 after four seasons in the Polo Grounds. In 1984 Hess moved the team to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Hess died at Lenox Hill Hospital on May 7, 1999 from a "blood disease".[1][2]
[edit] Legacy
In 2011, Hess was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.[3]
The Leon Hess Business School at Monmouth University was named for him.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Leon Hess". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/news/1999/05/07/hess_death. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
- ^ "Leon Hess". New York Times. May 9, 1999. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903EFD8173FF93AA35756C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2007-02-14. "Peacefully on May 7, 1999 of complications from a blood disorder. Beloved husband of Norma; cherished father of Constance and Dr. Sankey Williams, Marlene Hess and James Zirin, John and Susan Hess; adored grandfather of Elizabeth and Jennifer Williams, Peter and Margaret Friedland, Michael, David and William Hess; dear brother of Betty Gilbert, dear brother-in-law of Ruth Hess, Warren and Rhoda Wilentz and the late Robert and Jacqueline Wilentz, treasured son of the late Ethel and Mores Hess and son-inlaw of the late Lena and David T. Wilentz."
- ^ The Newark Star Ledger.
| Preceded by Harry Wismer |
Owners of the New York Jets | Succeeded by Robert Wood Johnson IV |
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