Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, was born in 1936 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He is one of the most famous football players and owners in history. His father owned a grocery store and later a small company that sold wristwatches and jewelry. Kraft grew up with his brother and sister in an apartment on Grove Street which is still standing today.
A journalism major at Brown University, Kraft began his career as an assistant for the Providence Journal-Bulletin before moving on to local television news stations WJAR and WRGB where he produced commercials for several companies including McDonald’s Corporation. In 1963, Kraft began working for a paper company in Brookline, Massachusetts. In 1970, he was elected to the Brookline Board of Selectmen and in 1977, was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives where he served until 1982.
In 1980, Robert Kraft purchased the Patriots from Billy Sullivan for $8 million after its previous owner had financial troubles. Additionally, he made an agreement with Sullivan that whoever died first would have his casket buried under the fifty-yard line at Foxborough Stadium. In 1985, Robert became a member of the NFL’s broadcast committee. In 1987, he became the chairman of the committee and helped the NFL raise over $50 million dollars.
In 1982, Robert Kraft bought Blue Line Corporation, a beverage company called that specializes in juices and water. By 1998, this had turned into a business that generated annual revenues of $1 billion and employed 2,500 people.
When Robert’s father died in 1983, Robert’s brother Jonathan inherited their father’s jewelry business. In 1995, his son Jonathan purchased this company from him for $250 million making it the second largest jewelry retailer in the United States. Unfortunately, in 1998, the company filed for bankruptcy.
In 2011, Kraft and the Patriot’s began a campaign to get the city of Boston to build a new stadium for the team. In 2002, Kraft had also begun construction on a major office building in Boston called “One Beacon Street” which is now complete and houses many top business organizations including Bain Capital and Bloomberg LP.
According to Forbes Magazine, Robert Kraft is worth an estimated $4.2 billion making him one of the richest men in Massachusetts. He continues to own his beverage company Blue Line Corporation which is now called The Blue Company Incorporated and is worth several billion dollars today.
See this article for additional information.
Learn more about Kraft on https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/31585923/new-england-patriots-owner-robert-kraft-gifted-new-bentley-celebrity-friends-80th-birthday