1. William Dole Eckert was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force, and later the fourth commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1968.
23 Facts About William Eckert
1. 2.
William Eckert was born on January 20,1909, in Freeport, Illinois, to Frank Lloyd and Harriet Julia Eckert.
3.
William Eckert's mother had previously been married to George H McClure, so Eckert had three half-siblings, including Robert A McClure.
4.
In 1924, at age 15, Eckert enlisted in the Indiana National Guard.
5.
William Eckert matriculated at the US Military Academy at West Point in July 1926.
6.
William Eckert served in the US military from 1930 to 1961.
7.
William Eckert was the Commissioner of Baseball from 1965 to 1968.
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Frank Lloyd 8.
William Eckert died in 1971 of a heart attack, while playing tennis in the Bahamas.
9.
William Eckert is buried in Arlington National Cemetery along with his wife, Catharine Givens William Eckert.
10.
In 1930, upon graduation from West Point, William Eckert was appointed a second lieutenant of Field Artillery in the Regular Army.
11.
William Eckert then attended the Air Corps Flying Schools at Brooks and Kelly Fields in San Antonio, Texas, graduating in October 1931 and was transferred to the Air Corps Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, Texas.
12.
In January 1944, William Eckert entered the Army and Navy Staff College.
13.
In July 1945, William Eckert was assigned as executive in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Materiel at Air Force headquarters, and later was appointed chief of the Readjustment and Procurement Division of that office.
14.
William Eckert was transferred to Air Force headquarters in June 1952 for duty as assistant deputy chief of staff for materiel.
15.
In 1957, at the age of 48, William Eckert was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, making him the youngest three-star officer in the United States Armed Forces.
16.
On February 1,1960, William Eckert was assigned to Headquarters US Air Force for duty as Deputy Chief of Staff, Comptroller of the Air Force.
17.
William Eckert was rated a bomber, command pilot, and technical observer.
18.
William Eckert served as the Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1968.
19.
William Eckert had not appeared on any lists of prospective candidates at first.
20.
On November 17,1965, by a unanimous vote of the then-20 major league club owners, William Eckert became the fourth Commissioner of Major League Baseball.
21.
When he became commissioner, William Eckert had not seen a baseball game in person in over ten years.
22.
William Eckert incurred the public's ire by refusing to cancel games after the assassinations of Sen.
23.
In spite of his much publicized failures and shortcomings, William Eckert developed more effective committee actions, streamlined business methods and helped stabilize franchises with bigger stadiums and long-term leases.