J ohn Middleton is an American billionaire who built his fortune in the tobacco industry. He is the principal owner of the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. He inherited his family's small cigar business, which was founded by his great-grandfather. He took over the business and, with a partner, transformed it by focusing on machine-made cigars, particularly the Black & Mild brand.

He built this brand into a massive and highly profitable success, making it one of the most popular and dominant brands of machine-made cigars in the United States. In 2007, he sold the family's company to the tobacco giant Altria (the parent of Philip Morris) for nearly $3 billion. He has since focused on his passion for baseball. He has been a part-owner of the Phillies for many years and, in 2016, he became the team's controlling owner and public face. He is a prominent and highly respected figure in the world of baseball.