Delbert Eugene Webb was born in Fresno, on May 17, 1899.

He was the first son of Ernest and Henrietta Webb. Both his parents came from California pioneer backgrounds.

By the time Webb learned to read his father was president of a local sand and gravel company. It was a family business.
Webb learned carpentry as a hobby when he was a boy and after completing his freshman year in high school, he left school forever. He went to work as a carpenter’s apprentice to help support the family.

His father was a baseball fan and the fascination with the national pastime rubbed off on his son. Throughout the 1920s, young Webb roamed the western United States as a part-time carpenter and semi-pro baseball player. In 1945, he would become co-owner of the New York Yankees. During the 20 seasons Webb and his partners owned the Yankees, the team won 15 pennants and 10 World Series championships.

In 1928, Webb moved to Phoenix and eventually set up a small construction firm, Del E. Webb, Contractor. That company would become known for the ability to develop profitable large-scale projects, both commercial and residential. Webb was the primary contractor on Madison Square Garden and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The company won contracts on a number of military housing projects during World War II, refining its ability to create communities “out of nothing,” on previously barren land.