Jack Kent Cooke

Jack Kent Cooke was a Canadian-American businessman who was a successful entrepreneur and sports owner. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on October 25, 1912, and started his career as a salesman of encyclopedias, soap, and stock. He later became a partner in a network of radio stations and newspapers in Canada, and moved to the United States in 1951. He acquired several businesses and properties, such as the Chrysler Building, the Chrysler Building Annex, and the Chrysler East Building in New York City, the Elmendorf Farm in Kentucky, and the Chrysler-Plymouth dealership in Los Angeles. He also became involved in the sports industry, owning the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, and the Washington Redskins of the NFL. He built the Forum in Inglewood, California, in 1967, and FedExField (originally Jack Kent Cooke Stadium) in Landover, Maryland, in 1997. He was known for his flamboyant personality, his lavish lifestyle, and his passion for winning. He was married four times and had three children. He also established the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, a charitable organization that provides scholarships and grants to talented students from low-income backgrounds. He died of cardiac arrest on April 6, 1997, in Washington, D.C., at the age of 84.