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John S. Middleton

John S. Middleton
Middleton in 2023
Born
John Staubus Middleton

(1955-03-02) March 2, 1955 (age 70)
EducationAmherst College (B.A.)
Harvard Business School (MBA)
OccupationBusinessman
SpouseLeigh Middleton
Children2, including John

John Staubus Middleton (born March 2, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the managing partner and principal owner of the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He purchased a minority stake in 1994 and increased his ownership to 48 percent by 2014. He became the Phillies' controlling owner in 2016.

Early life, education and family

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John Staubus Middleton, son of Herbert and Frances (née Staubus) Middleton, was born on March 2, 1955.[1][2] The Middleton family descends from John Middleton, who, in 1857, founded John Middleton Co., a Philadelphia retail tobacco shop that evolved into a manufacturer and marketer of pipe tobacco and cigars.[3]

He graduated from the Haverford School in 1973.[4] He was a wrestler at Amherst College from where he graduated magna cum laude in 1977 with his bachelor's degree in economics.[5] He then attended Harvard Business School, graduating in 1979 with his Master of Business Administration.[6]

Middleton is married to Leigh Middleton, and they have two children, Frances[7] "Francie" Fields, and film and television producer John Powers Middleton.[8] As of 2016, Middleton and his wife are residents of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.[1]

Career

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Middleton began working at his family's cigar business at age 16.[1] After graduating from Harvard Business School, he returned home to work at John Middleton Inc. where his father put him on the company's board. Under Middleton, the company bought four tobacco brands from R.J. Reynolds in 1987, transforming the company into a major corporate interest in the pipe tobacco industry, and facilitating the subsequent growth of its packaged-cigar business.[1]

In 2003, Middleton bought all shares in the family company from his mother and sisters.[9] In 2007, Middleton sold John Middleton Co. to Altria, the parent of Phillip Morris USA, for $2.9 billion.[10] In 2015 litigation was filed by Middleton’s sister, disputing declared company assets from 2003, which was settled out of court for $22 million in 2018.[9][11]

Middleton is the president of Bradford Holdings, the parent company whose subsidiaries have included John Middleton Inc., Double Play Inc. (the corporate entity that holds his stake in the Phillies) and McIntosh Inns.[4]

Philadelphia Phillies

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Middleton bought a 15 percent stake in the Phillies for $18 million in 1994.[12] He has been elected chairman of its partners’ Advisory Board annually since 1998.

When Phillies' chairman David Montgomery took a medical leave of absence in 2014, Middleton assumed a more active role, overseeing on-field and business performance, and increased his shareholding to 48 percent.[13] In 2015, Middleton became the public face of the Phillies' ownership group. Middleton committed that the Phillies would have a greater focus on analytics.[14][15][16]

At the November 2016 MLB owners’ meeting, Middleton was elected the Phillies’ control person by the thirty clubs, making him the primary person accountable to the commissioner's office for the Phillies' operations and compliance with MLB rules.[17][12]

Since the Phillies had not made the playoffs since 2011, Middleton recognized it was time for a change. In December 2020, Middleton contacted Dave Dombrowski, a two-time World Series champion executive. Together, they created a deal, and Middleton hired him as the Phillies’ president of baseball operations.[18][19]

In February 2021, he became one of eight members of Major League Baseball’s Executive Council, and served a four-year term, leaving the role in February 2025.[20][21]

In November 2024, Middleton announced that three new investors would be added to the team’s ownership group and his family would be contributing additional funds.[22][23] Also in 2024, Middleton took on a leadership role, in partnership with Comcast Spectacor, to execute a development initiative for the South Philadelphia sports complex.[24]

Support of Dick Allen

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For several years, Middleton pushed for the recognition of famed Phillies player Dick Allen, whom he had admired since childhood, in the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2020, Middleton guided the Hall of Fame to break tradition and retire Allen’s number while the player was still alive. Before Allen’s 2025 posthumous Baseball Hall of Fame induction, Middleton spoke of Allen’s strong ethics following racism and criticism during his career.[25][26][27]

Philanthropy

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Middleton and his wife, Leigh, share philanthropic involvement in several organizations,[28] including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Penn Medicine,[29] the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church,[30] the Academy of Natural Sciences, and Project HOME.[31]

In 2012, the Middletons announced a gift of more than $16.2 million to the Philadelphia School District, Philadelphia Youth Network, Philadelphia Academies and Drexel University for career and technical education.[32]

In 2013, the Middletons pledged $30 million to Project HOME[29] in an effort to end chronic homelessness by doubling the number of its apartments for homeless people, opening a new medical center and leveraging additional public and private funds.[33]

The Middletons received the 2013 Philadelphia Award, in 2014, for their philanthropic works in the Philadelphia area, directed towards education, homelessness, and workforce development projects.[34][35]

The couple has made four Matching Gift contributions to the Eagles Autism Challenge between 2019 and 2023.[36]

Middleton served as a member of the board of trustees of Amherst College, which awarded him its Medal for Eminent Service in 2004, in recognition of his dedication to the college.[37][38]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Huber, Robert (May 15, 2016). "Can John Middleton Bring Back the Phillies?". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "Births Listed in Area". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 13, 1955. p. SO-10. Retrieved October 5, 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Mr. and Mrs. Herbert H. Middleton, of Havertown, announce the birth of a son, John Staubus Middleton, on March 2.
  3. ^ "Philadelphia Award shines a light on Middletons' philanthropy". philly-archives. Archived from the original on June 18, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Area cigar firm fetches $2.9 billion Middleton has been puffin' since 1856". philly-archives. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  5. ^ "Bill Conlin - Phils' part-owner has money to burn". philly-archives. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  6. ^ "John S. Middleton '77". Amherst.edu. Amherst College. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  7. ^ "John S. Middleton". www.amherst.edu. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  8. ^ Narducci, Marc (May 7, 2020). "Children of Phillies managing partner John Middleton contribute to PHL COVID-19 Fund". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Judge raps Phillies co-owner John Middleton over 'concealment' of document in family dispute". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  10. ^ "John Middleton". Forbes. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  11. ^ "Phillies' co-owner John Middleton settles with sister for $22M". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "John Middleton designated as Phillies' control person by MLB". CSN Philly. November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  13. ^ "Report: Middleton Owns 48%, Montgomery to Return?". philliesnation.com. October 3, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  14. ^ "With Phillies, Klentak will try to blend best of old and new worlds". PhillyVoice. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  15. ^ "Phillies introduce Andy MacPhail in Monday press conference". Philly.com. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  16. ^ "Phillies hire ex-Google analyst to head baseball research & development". Philly.com. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  17. ^ "John Middleton named Phillies' control person". Major League Baseball. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  18. ^ Breen, Matt (December 11, 2020). "Phillies hire Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations". Inquirer.com. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  19. ^ Stark, Jayson (December 17, 2020). "Stark: Inside the Phillies' full-circle search that led to Dave Dombrowski". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  20. ^ Mazzeo, Mike (August 13, 2025). "Cohen, Fisher named to MLB's executive council". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  21. ^ "Phils' Middleton, Royals' Sherman join MLB executive council". AP News. March 4, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  22. ^ "New limited partners to join Phillies ownership group". MLB.com. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  23. ^ "Phillies add three new investors to ownership group". MLB.com. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  24. ^ "Phillies partnering with Comcast Spectacor to transform South Philadelphia Sports Complex - CBS Philadelphia". www.cbsnews.com. March 21, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  25. ^ Staff, NBC Sports Philadelphia (July 24, 2025). "Long Road to Cooperstown, Part 5: Dick Allen's journey to the Hall of Fame". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  26. ^ "Spare Parts: Dick Allen enters Hall of Fame - Sox Machine". soxmachine.com. July 28, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  27. ^ "Dave Parker and Dick Allen elected to baseball's Hall of Fame". AP News. December 9, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  28. ^ "Meet the Middletons: Philadelphia's Next Big Power Couple in Philanthropy". Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  29. ^ a b "If you ever wondered how Phillies owner John S. Middleton made his $2.9 billion..." CSNphilly.com. CSN Philly. May 7, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  30. ^ "The Middleton Center". Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  31. ^ Mcquade, Dan (May 8, 2014). "New York Times Plays Up Project HOME's Success". Phillymag.com. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  32. ^ Center, Foundation. "Philadelphia School District, Educational Groups to Receive $16.2 Million". Philanthropy News Digest (PND). Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  33. ^ Hurdle, Jon (May 7, 2014). "Philadelphia's Success in Helping the Homeless Gets a Philanthropic Boost". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  34. ^ "Phillies Co-Owner, Wife Receive Philadelphia Award | News | Philadelphia Magazine". Philadelphia Magazine. March 24, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  35. ^ "Middletons to receive the Philadelphia Award". Philly.com. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  36. ^ "$150K Matching Gift Alert! John and Leigh Middleton contribute to Eagles Autism Challenge's record-setting year". www.philadelphiaeagles.com. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  37. ^ "Corporation & Trustees | President & College Leadership | Amherst College". www.amherst.edu. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  38. ^ Lauber, Scott (November 16, 2020). "John Middleton should look to his alma mater to shape future of Phillies' front office". Inquirer.com. Retrieved August 13, 2025.