A
baseball player as a youth in Connecticut and a lifelong fan, Smith became an investor in the
Brooklyn Dodgers of
Major League Baseball in 1944, and the following year he became a one-quarter owner of the franchise, an equal partner along with
Dearie Mulvey (with her husband,
James),
Walter O'Malley and
Branch Rickey. Under the quartet, the Dodgers won two
National League pennants (; ), and made history by breaking the six-decade-old
baseball color line with the 1947 debut of
Baseball Hall of Famer
Jackie Robinson. But O'Malley and Rickey clashed over control of the Dodgers and developed a deep animosity; over time, Smith became more sympathetic with O'Malley's position. In February 1950, newly turned 61, Smith was stricken with
lung cancer. Surgery proved unable to halt the spread of the disease and he died at his Prospect Park West home in
Park Slope, Brooklyn, on July 10. His illness and death coincided with a critical period for the Dodgers. Rickey's five-year contract as club president and
general manager was due to expire at the end of October 1950. O'Malley secured the support of Smith's widow, Mary Louise, and refused to renew Rickey's contract, effectively forcing him to sell his shares in the Brooklyn club. O'Malley then acquired Rickey's one-quarter interest, making him the team's largest shareholder with 50 percent. He purchased Mrs. Smith's stock in January 1958—the Dodgers' debut season in
Los Angeles—to gain 75 percent control of the franchise, and became sole owner in 1975. ==References==