William Edward White
Encyclopedia
William Edward White played as a substitute in one baseball
game for the Providence Grays
, on June 21, 1879. Recent work by members of the Society for American Baseball Research
(SABR) suggests that he may have been the first African-American to play major league baseball, predating the longer career of Moses Fleetwood Walker
by five years.
Very little is known about White, who replaced the regular first baseman, Joe Start
, after the latter was injured. White was a student of Brown University
, who played for the college's team. He went 1-for-4 and scored a run as Providence won 5-3. It is unknown why White did not play for the Grays again; he was replaced in the next game by now-Hall of Famer "Orator Jim" O'Rourke.
Research conducted in 2003 by SABR has suggested that the William Edward White who took the field that day was the son of a plantation owner from Milner, Georgia
, Andrew Jackson White, and his black slave, Hannah. University records give Milner as the student's birthplace, and the only person of his name listed in the 1870 census was a 9-year-old mulatto boy who was one of three children living with his mother Hannah White. All three of these children are named in A.J. White's 1877 will, which described them as the children of his servant Hannah White and stipulates that they be educated in the North. If the research by SABR is correct, then William Edward White was not only the first black player in the major leagues, but also the only former slave to do so.
According to 1900 and 1910 census records, White (the former Brown student and ballplayer) moved to Chicago
and became a bookkeeper. He is listed there as having been born in Rhode Island
and being white. The 1920 census, however, indicates that there was then a 60-year-old William E. White living in Chicago, whose parents were born in Georgia, and whose race was listed as "black." It is not certain that this is the same man.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
game for the Providence Grays
Providence Grays
The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at Messer Field in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National League title twice, in and...
, on June 21, 1879. Recent work by members of the Society for American Baseball Research
Society for American Baseball Research
The Society for American Baseball Research was established in Cooperstown, New York, in August 1971 by Bob Davids of Washington, D.C. The Society's mission is to foster the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball, while generating interest in the game...
(SABR) suggests that he may have been the first African-American to play major league baseball, predating the longer career of Moses Fleetwood Walker
Moses Fleetwood Walker
Moses Fleetwood Walker [″Fleet″] was an American Major League Baseball player and author who is credited with being the first African American to play professional baseball.-Baseball career:...
by five years.
Very little is known about White, who replaced the regular first baseman, Joe Start
Joe Start
Joseph Start , nicknamed "Old Reliable", was one of the biggest stars of baseball's earliest era, and certainly the top first baseman of his time...
, after the latter was injured. White was a student of Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, who played for the college's team. He went 1-for-4 and scored a run as Providence won 5-3. It is unknown why White did not play for the Grays again; he was replaced in the next game by now-Hall of Famer "Orator Jim" O'Rourke.
Research conducted in 2003 by SABR has suggested that the William Edward White who took the field that day was the son of a plantation owner from Milner, Georgia
Milner, Georgia
Milner is a city in Lamar County, Georgia, United States. The population was 522 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Milner is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, Andrew Jackson White, and his black slave, Hannah. University records give Milner as the student's birthplace, and the only person of his name listed in the 1870 census was a 9-year-old mulatto boy who was one of three children living with his mother Hannah White. All three of these children are named in A.J. White's 1877 will, which described them as the children of his servant Hannah White and stipulates that they be educated in the North. If the research by SABR is correct, then William Edward White was not only the first black player in the major leagues, but also the only former slave to do so.
According to 1900 and 1910 census records, White (the former Brown student and ballplayer) moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and became a bookkeeper. He is listed there as having been born in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
and being white. The 1920 census, however, indicates that there was then a 60-year-old William E. White living in Chicago, whose parents were born in Georgia, and whose race was listed as "black." It is not certain that this is the same man.