Peter George Angelos, longtime owner of the Baltimore Orioles, has passed away at the age of 94. The Angelos family released a statement Saturday, which can be seen below.
Angelos was born on July 4, 1929, the son of John and Frances Angelos, who immigrated to the United States from Karpathos, Greece. His family settled in the working-class neighborhood of Highlandtown (also known as Greek Town) and lived in a row house growing up.
He graduated from Patterson Park High School, and then attended the University of Baltimore, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. Angelos then graduated from Eastern College of Commerce and Law and the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he was class valedictorian. He was one of the first attorneys in the United States to accept and litigate asbestos cases, and he has successfully represented and recovered damages for thousands of Maryland workers and their families. In addition to representing thousands of other clients in Maryland and other states, Peter has represented the Maryland Building and Construction Trades Councils, the Steelworkers’ Unions, and other labor organizations.
Peter Angelos was chosen by the state of Maryland after a national bid process to conduct what became the State’s successful lawsuit to recover billions of dollars for Maryland from the tobacco industry.
In 1993, “Angelos assembled a group of investors to purchase the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB) from New York venture capitalist Eli Jacobs. While Angelos was the principal investor, contributing $40 million, his fellow Oriole group owners included novelist Tom Clancy, filmmaker Barry Levinson, and tennis player Pam Shriver. On October 4, 1993, Jacobs sold the Orioles to Angelos’ group for $173 million, the highest price paid for a sports franchise at that time. Angelos took over as managing partner and principal owner of the team.”
Statement from the Angelos family: “Today, Peter G. Angelos passed away quietly at the age of 94. Mr. Angelos had been ill for several years, and the family thanks the doctors, nurses, and caregivers who brought comfort to him in his final years. It was Mr. Angelos’ wish to have a private burial, and the family asks for understanding as they honor that request. Donations may be sent to charity in lieu of flowers.”