Wrigley, Philip K.

Wrigley, Philip K. (Knight) (1894–1977) corporate executive, baseball team owner; born in Chicago (son of William Wrigley Jr.) He joined Wrigley's, his father's chewing gum firm, as a teenager, and was for 52 years variously president, CEO, and chairman. His progressive labor practices included guaranteed worker incomes (1934) and a gradual retirement plan (1950). As principal owner and president of the Chicago Cubs (1934–77), he became a celebrated holdout against night baseball games. During World War II he was the prime mover in organizing the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which played a cross between softball and baseball; it played in Midwest cities for a few years, but did not long survive the revival of baseball after the war ended.