Carpenter was born in Wilmington, Delaware. He was three years old when his grandfather, Robert Carpenter, Senior bought the Phillies in 1943 and gave control of the team to his father, Bob, Junior. He graduated from Yale University in 1962, and joined his father in the Phillies" front office in 1963.
In 1965, he suggested that his father hire Paul Owens, a young scout, as farm system director
Owens would eventually become general manager in 1972. Ruly became team president at 32, when his father stepped down in the 1972 season. His tenure as owner was, statistically speaking, one of the most (if not the most) successful in franchise history.
Soon after the World Series triumph, however, Carpenter decided to sell the team
With the advent of free agency, salaries were already starting to spiral upward, and he believed that even with his considerable wealth he needed to take on minority investors in order to stay afloat. Carpenter still lives in Wilmington.
He is still an avid Phillies fan, and closely followed the team"s run to its second world title in 2008. He was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.
Carpenter"s great-grandmother, Margaretta Carpenter, was the sister of Pierre South. du Pont, president of DuPont from 1915 to 1919.
He is a longtime member of the University of Delaware Board of Trustees. His family has supported the school for many years.
