Background
Yawkey was the son of lumber tycoon William Clyman Yawkey, the richest man in Michigan.
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Bill Yawkey
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The elder Yawkey agreed to buy the Tigers from Samuel F. Angus in 1903, but died before the deal closed. Navin, then the Tigers" bookkeeper and vice president, persuaded the younger Yawkey to complete the deal. Yawkey took little interest in the Tigers, leaving day-to-day control in Navin"s hands.
In 1908, Yawkey sold almost half of the club"s stock to Navin, making him for all intents and purposes a full partner.
Yawkey died in 1919 from the Spanish flu.
