Col. Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston

1867-1938

Col. Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston
"Cap" Huston with his signature derby hat

Till was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of a civil engineer and railroad builder. He received his first engineering experience under his father in the construction of sections of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.

During the Spanish-American War, Till was a captain in the Second Regiment U.S. Volunteer Engineers in Cuba. After the war he remained in Cuba, dredging harbors, modernizing sewerage systems in Havana and other cities, and doing other construction work that proved extremely profitable.

While building and designing things were his passions, with the fortune he made in Cuba, Till was able to indulge in his one of his other passions: baseball. In January 1915, Till partnered with beer baron Jacob Ruppert to purchase a second-rate baseball team called the Yankees for $460,000. The team was without a home of its own, without players of outstanding ability, and without any prestige. Till and Jacob turned the Yankees into the pride of New Yorkers and built Yankee Stadium. Till supervised much of its construction.

In May 1917, Till enlisted for the World War in the 16th Regiment of Engineers, and in France built roads and railways under heavy shell fire, first behind the British lines in the German drive of March, 1918, and later with the American First Army near Varennes and Montfaucon. He was twice promoted and became lieutenant colonel of the regiment.

When Till returned from the war, his views on how the Yankees should be managed became increasing diverged from that of his partner, Jacob Ruppert. Ruppert bought out Till's share for $1,500,00 in May 1923, a month after Yankee Stadium opened.

In 1926, Till bought Butler Island Plantation in Georgia and created a dairy and truck farming business.

Much more information about Till will be added in time. This website is a work-in-progress.

Father: Richard Grier Huston (1825-1910)
Mother: Mary Elizabeth Samuel (1838-1899)

Spouse: Lean Belle Glathart (1869-1949)

Children:
  • Bernice "Bunny" Huston (1890-1943)
  • Frances Huston (1891-1991)
  • Harry Huston (1893-1893) 
  • Arthur Tillinghast Huston (1894-1964)
  • Helen Huston (1896-1896) 

Timeline

  1. 1867

    July 17 - Born in Buffalo, New York. The 4th of 7 children of Richard Grier and Mary Elizabeth (nee Samuel) Huston. [1]

  2. 1890

    1890-1898 - Serves as Assistant Chief Engineer of the Water Department of the City of Cincinnati, resigning at the outbreak of the Spanish-American War.[2]

  3. 1890

    February 27 - Marries Lena Belle Glathart in Hancock County, Ohio.[3]

  4. 1890

    October 23 - Daughter Bernice born.

  5. 1891

    September 5 - Daughter Frances born.

  6. 1893

    Son Harry born January 17, but dies of typhoid fever July 20, aged 6 months.[4]

  7. 1894

    March 20 - Son Arthur Tillinghast born.[5]

  8. 1896

    Daughter Helen born March 9, but dies June 20 of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), aged 3 months.[6]

  9. 1898

    Serves as Captain in 2nd Regiment U.S. Volunteer Engineers in Cuba during Spanish-American war until April 1899.[7]

  10. 1899

    After discharge, remains in Cuba to work as civil engineer.[8]

  11. 1914

    December 31 - Purchases Yankees baseball team with Col. Jacob Ruppert for $460,000.[9]

  12. 1917

    May - Enlists for the World War in the 16th Engineers. Leaves for Europe in August. Returns in 1919.[10]

  13. 1923

    April 18 - Yankee Stadium opens.

  14. 1923

    June 1 - Sells his half share of the NY Yankees to Ruppert for $1,250,000.[11]

  15. 1926

    Buys Butler Island Plantation, Georgia.[12]

  16. 1938

    March 29 - Dies at home, aged 70, of heart attack while sitting at his desk.[13]

Stories to Come

  • Work in Cuba
  • The Yankees
  • Serving in WWI
  • Butler Island Plantation – Dreams and Reality

Photo Galleries

Huston House Butler Island

The Huston House on Butler Island, Georgia

Yankee Stadium program cover
Cover of the Souvenir Program of the Opening of Yankee Stadium, April 18, 1923
with images of the co-owners Col. Jacob Ruppert and Col. T.L. Huston

Footnotes and Sources

  1. [1] Several sources for his date and place of birth:
    • Date: Judy Huston Ely (Newbury NH), TL Huston's granddaughter, to Hope Ely Stewart, letter, 17 July 2000.
    • Year & place: Certified copy of Death Certificate for Tillinghast L'Hommedieu HUSTON, 29 Mar 1938, State File #7098, Vital Records Service, Atlanta GA. Informant was his son, Arthur Huston.
    • Date & place: Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957. Original data: The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85.
  2. [2] Exact reprint of the Official Souvenir Program, Opening Day, Yankee Stadium, April 18, 1923.
  3. [3] Marriage Records vol. 8, 1890-1892, Probate Court, Hancock County, Ohio, LDS microfilm #1299107, page 19, Marriage License #54, granted 26 Feb 1890, and Marriage Record of 27 Feb 1890, for Tillinghast L. Huston and Lena B. Glathart.
  4. [4] Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99ZR-VLM1?cc=2128172&wc=7DZ2-GT7%3A1296038501%2C1296038802 : 30 September 2014), Hamilton > Death records, 1881-1893, vol 1 > image 354 of 599; county courthouses, Ohio. Of the 50 deaths listed on the page where Harry's death is recorded, 3 (including Harry) died of typhoid fever.
  5. [5] Sources:
    • Copy of the original application for a Social Security account number for Arthur Tillinghast Huston, 3 Jun 1940. Number 253-22-9038.
    • Certified copy of Death Certificate for Arthur T. Huston, 9 Dec 1964, State File #36128, Vital Records Service, Atlanta GA. Informant was his widow, Isabelle Huston.
  6. [6] Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-66TS-9W7?cc=2128172&wc=7DZ2-GRR%3A1296038501%2C1296081788 : 30 September 2014), Hamilton > Death records, 1893-1908, vol 1B-2 > image 88 of 698; county courthouses, Ohio.
  7. [7] Graden, Debra, comp. Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain, 1898-99, page 939. Ancestry.com. Original data: Compiled under the direction of Frank B. Willis, Governor, Charles Q. Hildebrant, Secretary of State, and Benson W. Hough, Adjutant General. The Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the War with Spain, 1898-99. Ft. Leavenworth, KS, USA: C.A.R.L. Library, 1916.
  8. [8] Exact reprint of the Official Souvenir Program, Opening Day, Yankee Stadium, April 18, 1923.
  9. [9] "Ruppert and Huston Buy the Yankees: Farrell Sells New York Baseball Club for $500,000 - Donovan Manager", The New York Time (New York NY), 1 January 1915, page 12:1.
  10. [10] Sources:
    • "Col. T.L'H. Huston, Ball Club Partner, Former Co-Owner of Yankees Dies", The New York Times, 30 March 1938, page 21:4.
    • U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939, Ancestry.com
    • Exact reprint of the Official Souvenir Program, Opening Day, Yankee Stadium, April 18, 1923.
  11. [11] "Ruppert Completes Deal for Yankees", The New York Times (New York NY), 22 May 1923, page 15:1.
  12. [12] Brian Brown, "Vanishing Coastal Georgia: Colonel T.L. Huston House (1927) & Butler Island Dairy, McIntosh County," 21 December 2017; https://vanishingcoastalgeorgia.com/2017/12/21/colonel-t-l-huston-house-1927-butler-island-dairy-mcintosh-county/ accessed 27 January 2018. This site can now (June 2026) be found at https://vanishinggeorgia.com/2017/12/21/colonel-t-l-huston-house-1927-butler-island-dairy-mcintosh-county/
  13. [13] Certified copy of Death Certificate for Tillinghast L'Hommedieu HUSTON, 29 Mar 1938, State File #7098, Vital Records Service, Atlanta GA. Informant was his son, Arthur Huston.

Last updated: 2 June 2026

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