Leon Hess - Biography

Leon Hess (March 13, 1914 – May 7, 1999) was the founder of the Hess Corporation and the owner of the New York Jets.

Biography

Hess was born on March 13, 1914. His father was a Russian immigrant who worked as an oil delivery man in Asbury Park, New Jersey during the Great Depression.

He married Norma around 1945 and they had three children: Marlene Hess, Connie Hess, and John B. Hess.

He acquired Amerada Corporation in 1969 where he was chairman and CEO till 1995.

He was part of a consortium that bought the New York Jets in 1963.

He bought out his partners: Sonny Werblin and Phil Iselin, in 1977 to become the sole owner. The Jets played in Shea Stadium in 1964 after four seasons in the Polo Grounds. In 1984 Hess moved the team to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Hess died at Lenox Hill Hospital on May 7, 1999 from a "blood disease".

In 2011, Hess was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.