Born in Chicago, Norris served as a lieutenant with the United States Navy during World War II. In business, he was a partner in the commodity brokerage firm, Norris and Kenly, and became involved in hockey by working for his father, who bought the Detroit Red Wings in 1932. In 1946, James D. Norris was one of a group that purchased the Chicago Blackhawks along with Bill Tobin (left Chicago Blackhawks in 1954) and Arthur M. Wirtz Sr. However, he remained a Vice President with the Detroit Red Wings until the summer of 1952. That summer He left to help Arthur M. Wirtz Sr. run the Chicago Black Hawks. In 1957, James Norris along with his half brother Bruce Norris and other NHL owners of the time, were accused of union busting activities related to the attempt by Ted Lindsay and a group of NHL players to form an NHL Players Association. Mr. Norris\'s role in those affairs are dramatized in the movie, Net Worth.\n', '

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 1961, with Norris as chairman. Norris was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1962.\n', '

Norris\'s father passed along several of the family\'s businesses to him in the late 1940s, including a significant ownership position in Norris Grain Company and Madison Square Garden.\n', '

Return to James D. Norris Autograph Profile