William Edward White

William Edward White (October 1860 – March 29, 1937) was a 19th-century American baseball player. He played as a substitute in one professional baseball game for the Providence Grays of the National League, on June 21, 1879.[1] Work by 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 careers of Moses Fleetwood Walker and his brother Weldy Walker by five years; and Jackie Robinson by 68 years.[2][3][4][5][6]

William Edward White, seated second from right, with the 1879 Brown University varsity baseball team
William Edward White
White photographed as a member of the 1879 Brown University baseball team
First baseman
Born: October 1860
Milner, Georgia
Died: March 29, 1937 (aged 76)
Chicago, Illinois
Batted: Unknown Threw: Unknown
MLB debut
June 21, 1879, for the Providence Grays
Last MLB appearance
June 21, 1879, for the Providence Grays
MLB statistics
Games played1
Runs1
Hits1
Teams

Very little is known about White, who replaced the regular first baseman, Joe Start, after the latter was injured. White was a student at Brown University, and 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 future Hall of Famer "Orator Jim" O'Rourke.[7]

SABR's research indicates 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 a black woman enslaved by White, 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. 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 stipulated that they be educated in the North. If the research by SABR is correct, then William White was not only the first black player in the major leagues, but may also have been the only former slave.[8][9] Unlike the Walker brothers, White passed as white and did not face the virulent racism prevalent in the late 19th century.

According to 1900 and 1910 census records, White 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.[10]

Sources
  1. William Edward White: Statistics and History Baseball-Reference
  2. Husman, John. "June 21, 1879: The cameo of William Edward White". The Society for American Baseball Research.
  3. Morris, Peter (February 5, 2015). ""Baseball's Secret Pioneer: William Edward White, the first black player in major-league history"". The Society for American Baseball Research/Slate.com.
  4. Malinowski, Zachary (February 15, 2004). "Who was the first black man to play in the major leagues?". Providence Journal.
  5. Siegel, Robert (January 30, 2004). "Black Baseball Pioneer William White's 1879 Game". National Public Radio.
  6. Fatsis, Stefan (January 30, 2004). "Mystery of Baseball: Was William White Game's First Black?". The Wall Street Journal.
  7. "Was William Edward White really first?". Associated Press. January 30, 2004.
  8. Husman, John. "June 21, 1879: The cameo of William Edward White". The Society for American Baseball Research.
  9. Malinowski, Zachary (February 15, 2004). "Who was the first black man to play in the major leagues?". Providence Journal.
  10. Siegel, Robert (January 30, 2004). "Black Baseball Pioneer William White's 1879 Game". National Public Radio.
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