Jim Crane

During the Memorial Day weekend in 2017, Crane married Whitney Wheeler. The ceremony took place the Floridian National Golf Club. The marriage is Crane’s third. He and Wheeler have a son together, James Robert Crane II. Crane’s son Jared is president of baseball operations for the Astros.

Crane reached an agreement to purchase the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball from Drayton McLane for a reported $680 million. He was unanimously approved by MLB on November 17, 2011. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig intended for Houston to change divisions from the 6-club National League Central to the 4-club American League West. Crane received $35 million bumps from McLane and the MLB in exchange for this league-change stipulation, which had previously committed to by McLane.

A scratch golfer, Crane has been ranked as the nation's top CEO golfer. In April 2010 he purchased The Floridian National Golf Club from Wayne Huizenga. The Floridian in Palm City, Florida recently completed major renovations and additions under the supervision of architect Tom Fazio.

Eagle USA Airfreight later became Eagle Global Logistics, and then EGL, Inc., and moved into the supply chain management and information services business. In August 2007 EGL merged with United Kingdom-based CEVA Logistics, owned by American private equity capital management and leveraged buyout firm Apollo Management L.P.. Crane owned approximately 17.6% of EGL's stock at the time of the merger. He had wanted to do a leveraged, management, or combination of the two, buyout of EGL, prior to the merger with CEVA, but was unable to obtain financing on acceptable terms. Later, after Crane obtained equity backing he initially offered $36 per-share for EGL, but Apollo then engaged in a bidding war and the shareholders eventually went with the Apollo/CEVA offer of $47.50 per share. He was opposed to the EGL and CEVA merger.

Eagle USA was also sued four separate times for allegations of war profiteering, and settled three cases between 2006 and 2008. Two officials pled guilty to different charges.

In 2000, Eagle USA was subject of an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation regarding hiring practices of minorities and women. Jim Crane was named personally in the lawsuit.

In 1998 Crane was the largest donor in a $1.2 million upgrade of the CMSU baseball stadium, which was then named James R. Crane Stadium.

After graduating from college Crane followed his father and went into the insurance business. He moved to Houston in 1980, and in March 1984 Crane borrowed $10,000 from his sister and founded Eagle USA Airfreight, an air freight logistics business.

Crane earned a degree in industrial safety from Central Missouri State University (CMSU) (now the University of Central Missouri) in 1976, where he became a member of the fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon. Crane pitched for the Central Missouri Mules baseball team. His father died between his freshman and second years, and Crane seriously thought about dropping out of college; however, his coach, Robert N. Tompkins, drove to his home in north St. Louis and talked Crane into returning to school.

Crane, who grew up in the north St. Louis suburb of Dellwood, Missouri, attended Lutheran High School North and graduated in 1972. He gave the school a donation of $1 million to improve their athletic facilities and enlarge the size of the campus from 40 acres to 67 in 2004. The school named the James R. Crane Athletic Complex for his contribution.

James Robert Crane (born January 17, 1954) is an American businessman from Houston, Texas. Crane is chairman and chief executive of Crane Capital Group, Crane Worldwide Logistics, and Crane Freight & Shipping. He is also the owner and chairman of the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB).