Vince McMahon , Sr . Vincent James " Vince " McMahon , better known as Vince McMahon , Sr . ( July 6 , 1914 – May 24 , 1984 ) was an American professional wrestling promoter . He is best known for founding the American promotion , World Wide Wrestling Federation , which is now known as WWE . Early life . Vincent James McMahon was born on July 6 , 1914 in Harlem , New York . His father Roderick James " Jess " McMahon , an Irish - American , was a successful boxing , wrestling and concert promoter who had worked with legendary Madison Square Garden promoter Tex Rickard and his mother Rose , was a New York er of Irish descent . He had an older brother , Roderick Jr . , and a younger sister , Dorothy . Professional wrestling . He saw the tremendous potential for growth that the pro wrestling industry had in the era following World War II , especially with the development of television and its insatiable need for new programming . Similar to boxing , wrestling took place primarily within a small ring and could be covered adequately by one or two cameras , and venues for it could readily be assembled in television studios , lessening production costs . McMahon ' s group , the Capitol Wrestling Corporation ( later the World Wide Wrestling Federation , World Wrestling Federation , World Wrestling Entertainment , now WWE ) came to dominate professional wrestling in the 1950s and 1960s in what was then the nation ' s most populous area — the Northeast . His control was primarily in Baltimore , New York , and New Jersey . ( Despite its name , the WWWF was , like all pro wrestling promotions of its time , mostly a regional operation . It was , however , the one that came to dominate the most lucrative region ) . He had an eye for talent and for " booking " the matches that would lead to the most drama and excitement for the fans . In 1955 , McMahon began airing his matches on television on Wednesday nights ; the telecast originated from an old barn in Washington , D . C . In her biography , wrestler The Fabulous Moolah claimed that he was also one of the first promoters to split gate proceeds with his wrestlers . In 1982 , McMahon sold the parent company of the WWF to his son Vincent Kennedy McMahon and his company Titan Sports , Inc . The younger Vince , much to his father ' s initial concern , set out to make it truly national and even truly worldwide in scope . " Had my father known what I was going to do , " the younger McMahon told Sports Illustrated in 1991 , " he never would have sold his stock to me . " The younger Vince McMahon ' s competitive tactics were successful , and the WWF quickly became the most prominent exponents of " Sports Entertainment " . Today , it is now known as WWE , formerly World Wrestling Entertainment . The elder Vince ' s grandchildren Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon have also worked for the WWE , until Shane ' s resignation in January 2010 . Personal life . McMahon had his only son Vincent K . McMahon with his first wife Vicki Askew in 1945 . McMahon married his second wife , Juanita W . Johnston ( 1914 - 1998 ) , and the couple lived in Fort Lauderdale in the mid - 1950s . On May 24 , 1984 , McMahon died from pancreatic cancer . He was 69 years old . He is buried in Bonnell Cemetery in Greenwich , Connecticut .