Walter Thornton
Encyclopedia
Walter Miller Thornton was an American
Major League Baseball
player who played from through for the Chicago Colts/Orphans
.
A skilled athlete who excelled in baseball, Thornton pitched Snohomish, Washington
, to the state’s amateur championship in 1893. In the spring of 1895, two Cornell College
graduates who owned the Snohomish Tribune arranged a scholarship
for Thornton to attend Cornell. He dominated the college competition and was invited to a tryout with the Chicago Colts (later the Chicago Cubs
) National League
baseball team. He made his major league pitching debut July 1, 1895, while still enrolled at Cornell.
He pitched a no-hitter
on August 21, 1898 against the Brooklyn Bridegrooms
, a 2-0 victory. In , Thornton married a Cornell teacher, Sarah Andrews Hackett, director of the School of Oratory and Physical Culture. She was 26, and he was 21. After a salary dispute ended his major league baseball career, the Thorntons returned to the Pacific Northwest
, where Walter played semi-pro ball and worked in Everett, Washington
. In , Thornton compiled what is arguably the county’s best baseball team. The Everett semi-pro team won its first 27 games and shut out professional teams from Spokane
, Seattle
and Tacoma
.
In 1910, an evangelist named Billy Sunday
, a former professional baseball player for the Chicago White Stockings
and the Pittsburgh Alleghenys
, brought a six-week religious campaign to Everett. Thornton became a lifelong follower of Sunday and his religious teachings. He later moved to Los Angeles in the 1920s, after Sarah’s death, to become a street preacher and help the poor. In July 1960, Thornton died in a Los Angeles hotel, and was cremated.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player who played from through for the Chicago Colts/Orphans
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
.
A skilled athlete who excelled in baseball, Thornton pitched Snohomish, Washington
Snohomish, Washington
Snohomish is a city in Snohomish County founded by the british, Washington, United States. The population was 9,098 at the 2010 census. The mayor of Snohomish is Karen Guzak, and the City Manager is Larry Bauman...
, to the state’s amateur championship in 1893. In the spring of 1895, two Cornell College
Cornell College
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows...
graduates who owned the Snohomish Tribune arranged a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
for Thornton to attend Cornell. He dominated the college competition and was invited to a tryout with the Chicago Colts (later the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
) National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
baseball team. He made his major league pitching debut July 1, 1895, while still enrolled at Cornell.
He pitched a no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
on August 21, 1898 against the Brooklyn Bridegrooms
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, a 2-0 victory. In , Thornton married a Cornell teacher, Sarah Andrews Hackett, director of the School of Oratory and Physical Culture. She was 26, and he was 21. After a salary dispute ended his major league baseball career, the Thorntons returned to the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, where Walter played semi-pro ball and worked in Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
. In , Thornton compiled what is arguably the county’s best baseball team. The Everett semi-pro team won its first 27 games and shut out professional teams from Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
and Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
.
In 1910, an evangelist named Billy Sunday
Billy Sunday
William Ashley "Billy" Sunday was an American athlete who, after being a popular outfielder in baseball's National League during the 1880s, became the most celebrated and influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century.Born into poverty in Iowa, Sunday spent some...
, a former professional baseball player for the Chicago White Stockings
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
and the Pittsburgh Alleghenys
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, brought a six-week religious campaign to Everett. Thornton became a lifelong follower of Sunday and his religious teachings. He later moved to Los Angeles in the 1920s, after Sarah’s death, to become a street preacher and help the poor. In July 1960, Thornton died in a Los Angeles hotel, and was cremated.