13 Facts About Will Harridge

William Harridge was an American executive in professional baseball whose most significant role was as president of the American League from 1931 to 1959.

Will Harridge was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1972.

Will Harridge was born in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

Will Harridge worked as a railway ticket clerk before being hired in 1911 as the personal secretary to Ban Johnson, president of baseball's American League.

Will Harridge then became president of the American League in 1931, held that post until his retirement in 1958, and then was named president emeritus.

Related searches

At that point the league office was moved to Boston, and Harridge was allowed to keep the Chicago office as well as act as custodian of the American League archive correspondence.

Will Harridge faced some criticism for his involvement in allowing Arnold Johnson, a business associate of New York Yankees owners Dan Topping and Del Webb, to purchase the Philadelphia Athletics and move them to Kansas City rather than allow local owners to purchase the team and keep it in Philadelphia.

Will Harridge is criticized by some for his then "non-involvement" in turning a blind eye to the control that the Yankees had over Johnson and the A's.

Will Harridge often cited a 1932 incident as his most difficult decision in baseball.

Will Harridge is more widely known for a ruling that he made in 1951 when dwarf Eddie Gaedel signed a contract with Bill Veeck's St Louis Browns.

Will Harridge decided that Veeck was making a mockery of baseball and cancelled Gaedel's contract the next day.

In 1967, Will Harridge was driving through Wilmette when he struck and killed architect Barry Byrne of Evanston.

Will Harridge died at age 87 in Evanston, Illinois, and is interred in Memorial Park in Skokie, Illinois.