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Frank L. McNamee

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Frank L. McNamee
Born
Francis Leo McNamee

(1892-02-03)February 3, 1892
Butler County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedNovember 6, 1974(1974-11-06) (aged 82)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Alma mater
Occupation
Years active1923–1964

Francis Leo McNamee (February 3, 1892 – November 6, 1974) was an American businessman and government official who was regional director of the War Manpower Commission, president of United Artists and the Philadelphia Eagles, and commissioner of the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Early life

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McNamee was born in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on February 3, 1892.[1] He attended public school in Butler, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Washington & Jefferson College in 1915 and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1918. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1918 and was assigned to the officer's training school at Camp Taylor, Louisville.[2]

Early career

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In 1923, McNamee joined RKO Pictures as a branch manager based out of Washington D.C. He then worked as a salesman for Universal Pictures until 1932, when he became manager of RKO's Philadelphia branch, which covered Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. In 1940, he became a partner of theatre manager Jay Emanuel.[2] They owned and operated around 125 theaters and hotels, including the Rajah in Reading, Pennsylvania.[1][2]

World War II

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In 1943, McNamee was appointed regional director of the War Manpower Commission for Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.[2] In August 1943, McNamee instituted a mandatory 48-hour work week in the Newark, New Jersey, area due to labor shortages.[3] In August 1944, he order a 48-hour work week for the Philadelphia–Camden, New Jersey, area as well.[4]

Due to the labor shortage in the city, McNamee ordered the Philadelphia Transportation Company to upgrade black employees to operating jobs. This led to a strike by white transit workers.[5] McNamee refused to rescind his order and later issued an order barring any employer from hiring any PTC employee. The PTC was taken over by the United States Army under the authority of the Smith–Connally Act and the strike was resolved after Major General Philip Hayes directed strikers to return to work or lose their military draft deferments.[6]

In 1944, McNamee was chosen by WMC chairman Paul V. McNutt to act as the agency's assistant deputy director while Vernon A. McGee was on vacation.[7] From January to September 1945, McNamee was the deputy chairman of the War Manpower Commission.[8][9]

In 1946, McNamee was appointed regional director of the War Assets Administration.[10] He oversaw the sale of surplus military equipment and property in the Philadelphia area, including 125 factories and the Millville Army Air Field.[11][12]

Philadelphia Eagles

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In 1949, McNamee was part of a syndicate, nicknamed the Happy Hundred, that purchased the Philadelphia Eagles from Alexis "Lex" Thompson for $250,000.[13] In 1953, he succeeded majority shareholder James P. Clark as team president.[14] McNamee also served as secretary of Clark's Liberty Bell Park Racetrack until Pennsylvania passed a law prohibiting public officials from operating horse tracks.[15]

In 1958, the Eagles moved from Connie Mack Stadium to Franklin Field after McNamee reached a deal with the University of Pennsylvania. The Eagles were allowed to play at the stadium rent free, but made donations toward the maintenance of the field and allowed Penn to keep revenue from parking and concessions. The Eagles played the 1960 NFL Championship Game at Franklin Field and defeated the Green Bay Packers 17–13.[16] In 1960, McNamee was one of four owners who blocked Marshall Leahy's appointment as Commissioner of the National Football League due to his desire to remain in San Francisco and move the league office to the west coast.[17] After an eight-day deadlock, Leahy's supporters finally gave in and Los Angeles Rams general manager Pete Rozelle was elected as a compromise candidate.[18] McNamee disagreed with Rozelle's decision to have the league play its normal schedule of games following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. McNamee refused to attend the game in favor of a memorial service at nearby Independence Hall, stating that "the game is being played by order of the commissioner".[19] In December 1963, the "Happy Hundred" sold the club to Jerry Wolman for $5,505,000.[20]

United Artists

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In 1950, McNutt led a syndicate that obtained control of United Artists. He reorganized the company with himself as chairman and McNamee as president and treasurer.[21] The pair were unable to turn around the struggling company, which reportedly lost around $25,000 a week under their management. In 1951, management of UA was acquired by Arthur B. Krim and Robert Benjamin.[22]

Philadelphia fire commissioner

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In 1952, mayor Joseph S. Clark Jr. appointed McNamee to the position of fire commissioner, which was created after the PFD became independent from the department of public safety. Under his leadership, the department underwent a modernization program that saw the closure or replacement of older fire stations, engine and ladder companies move from separate stations into the same building, the construction of a new fire training school, and the replacement of the city's firefighting apparatuses. He retired on April 24, 1964.[23]

Later life and death

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McNamee spent his later years in Lakewood, Ohio. He died on November 6, 1974, at Fairview Park Hospital in Cleveland.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hearings Before the Subcommittee On Appropriations House of Representatives Seventy-Eighth Congress First Session on the Military Establishment Appropriation Bill for 1944. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1944. p. 1155. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Gets Federal Appointment". Reading Eagle. June 19, 1943. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  3. ^ "Newark Area on 48-Hour Week Aug. 23; Firms Employing 8 or More Must Comply". The New York Times. August 7, 1943. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  4. ^ "Finds Labor Crisis In Philadelphia". The New York Times. August 1, 1944. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  5. ^ "Martial Law Demanded In Philadelphia". The Free Lance-Star. August 2, 1944. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  6. ^ "Arrest Four Leaders of Phila. Strike". The Sunday Morning Star. August 6, 1944. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  7. ^ "McNamee Moved Up In WMC". The Sunday Morning Star. August 13, 1944. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  8. ^ "Idahoan Is Named To WMC Position". Lewiston Morning Tribune. January 28, 1945. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  9. ^ "McNamee Quits Post As McNutt Deputy". The Pittsburgh Press. September 17, 1945. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  10. ^ "WAA Appoints Regional Head". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 14, 1946. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  11. ^ "War Plants Will Be Sold". The New York Times. August 7, 1946.
  12. ^ "City Buys Surplus Air Base". The New York Times. February 14, 1947.
  13. ^ "Phillie Eagles of NFL Sold for Quarter Million". Herald-Journal. January 17, 1949. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  14. ^ "McNamee Gets Post". The Portsmouth Times. January 31, 1953. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  15. ^ "McNamee Quits Race Track Job At Liberty Bell". The Washington Reporter. November 12, 1963. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Frank, Matthew (February 15, 2021). "Long before the Linc, the Eagles called Franklin Field their home". The Daily Pennsylvanian. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  17. ^ "Leahy Leads Kellett in Poll". The Milwaukee Journal. January 21, 1960. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  18. ^ Bernstein, Ralph (January 27, 1960). "Things Beginning to Jell in the N.F.L. - Rams' Rozelle Succeeds Bell". The Windsor Star. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  19. ^ NFL Properties et al. 75 Seasons: The Complete Story of the National Football League, 1920-1995. Atlanta: Turner Publishing, 1994, p. 193.
  20. ^ Didinger, Ray; Robert S. Lyons (2005). The Eagles Encyclopedia. Temple University Press. pp. 127–128. ISBN 1-59213-449-1.
  21. ^ "McNutt Takes Over United Artists for Group of Eastern Investors". The New York Times. July 13, 1950. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  22. ^ "Deal is Concluded For United Artists". The New York Times. February 8, 1951. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  23. ^ "Commissioner Frank L. McNamee". Fireman's Hall Museum. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  24. ^ "Frank McNamee, Former Owner of "Eagles"". The News. November 9, 1974. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
Business positions
Preceded by
Gradwell Sears
 President of United Artists
July 12, 1950–February 16, 1951 		Succeeded by
Fire appointments
Preceded by
John C. Cost
(as Chief Engineer)
 Philadelphia Fire Commissioner
March 1, 1952–April 24, 1964 		Succeeded by
George E. Hink
Sporting positions
Preceded by President of the Philadelphia Eagles
January 3, 1953–January 21, 1964 		Succeeded by
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