William Clarence Matthews
William Clarence Matthews | |
---|---|
Born | Selma, Alabama, U.S. | January 7, 1877
Died | April 9, 1928 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 51)
Alma mater | Tuskegee Institute Phillips Academy Harvard University Boston University School of Law |
Known for | American baseball player, lawyer, and civil rights activist |
William Clarence Matthews (January 7, 1877 – April 9, 1928) was an early 20th-century
Matthews, having come from poverty and with no living parent, had to financially support himself with multiple jobs, but still managed to graduate in 1905 and was accepted to
Early life
William Clarence Matthews was born the third oldest child to William Matthews, a tailor, and Elizabeth Matthews in Selma, Alabama on January 7, 1877. He had two siblings, Fannie, the oldest, and Walter (or Buddy), the second oldest. His father died in the 1890s and his family moved to Montgomery, Alabama.
He was enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute from 1893 until 1897 where he graduated second in his class, was a standout athlete (organizing the first football team and being the captain of the baseball team), and became a student of Booker T. Washington.[2] Matthews was the first head football coach at Tuskegee and he held that position for two seasons, 1893 and 1895; there was no team in 1894. His coaching record at Tuskegee was 0–2.[3] Matthews also played on at least one of the teams he coached, serving as the captain.[4] Washington arranged for Matthews to continue his study in the north, first at the Phillips Andover Academy, where he was the only African-American in his class of 97 students, and then in the fall of 1901 at Harvard University.
Harvard baseball
Matthews was a recognized baseball standout at both the Tuskegee Institute and at Phillips Andover, and thus was able to walk on to the Harvard varsity baseball team as a Freshman. The tryouts for the Harvard Baseball team had over 140 people for only 12 spots, and Matthews was one of the first ones selected for the team. His joining the team caused some controversy, as one of a few African-American baseball players in American colleges at this point, and he had to be held out of games occasionally because of protests by other teams. During his sophomore year the team cancelled a tour through the southern states entirely.[2]
The Harvard baseball team was one of the best in the country (coached in 1902 by
On the Harvard Baseball team, he played alongside of
Matthews, as he had done at Tuskegee and Andover, also played football. He played as the varsity quarterback for the first games of the 1901 season (his Freshman season) until he suffered an injury in the Harvard-Army game and became a backup for the rest of the undefeated 1901 Harvard season. He played his last three years for Harvard but was moved primarily to the left end position. In 1904, he was mentioned as a potential All-American.[8]
While at Harvard, his mentor was
Burlington baseball
I think it is an outrage that colored men are discriminated against in the big leagues. What a shame it is that black men are barred forever from participating in the national game. I should think that Americans should rise up in revolt against such a condition. Many negroes are brilliant players and should not be shut out because their skin is black. As a Harvard man, I shall devote my life to bettering the condition of the black man, and especially to secure his admittance into organized base ball
—William Clarence Matthews as quoted in the Boston Evening Traveller, July 15, 1905.[6]
On July 4, 1905, Matthews became the starting second baseman for the Burlington, Vermont team in the Northern League. Taking the field that day in a doubleheader against a team from Rutland, Matthews became the only African-American playing in white professional baseball leagues at the time. He got three hits in his first game and fielded excellently. He played well for the whole season with the Burlington team taking second place and narrowly missing first place.[7]
In mid-1905, a rumor was published by the
While playing in the Northern League, Matthews faced discrimination from fans and other players. Sam Appcrious, who like Matthews was from Selma, refused to play against Matthews when their teams played each other. At some points in the season, he was moved to the outfield in order to prevent his opponents from spiking him (injuring him with their metal cleats when sliding at him).[7]
The Burlington team, like most of the Northern League teams, was staffed by a number of "kangaroos" or players from the National League or American League upset with their contracts who would jump from league to league. These players would often return to those leagues and leave the Burlington team leading to regular turnover of players. Thus, Matthews was one of only four players who played for the entire season for the team.[6] This would be his only year in professional baseball as he entered Boston University School of Law to work on his law degree in Fall 1905.
Law and politics
Matthews passed the
During the 1924 Presidential election, Matthews became an important supporter of the Republican Party and Calvin Coolidge. Although both Matthews and his mentor at Harvard William Henry Lewis were active Republicans, Lewis decided to support John W. Davis, the Democratic candidate for the Presidency because he felt the Republicans were not taking a strong enough stance against the Ku Klux Klan. Matthews, in contrast, became the Head of the Colored Division of the Republican National Committee in 1924.[9] Matthews' position was the first time that a major U.S. political party put an African-American in charge of efforts to organize the African-American vote.[10] Matthews criticized Lewis for leaving the Republican party and because of his efforts African-Americans in the North voted overwhelmingly for Coolidge. Following the 1924 election, Matthews delivered a list of seventeen demands to improve the position of African-Americans in the Coolidge administration.[9]
When Coolidge won, Matthews moved to Washington, D.C., and became an Assistant Attorney General.[1] He was assigned to cases in Nebraska (October 1925), Illinois (December 1925), and finally to deal with water issues in California (June 1926).[9]
Death and legacy
Matthews died on April 9, 1928 (51 years old) of a perforated ulcer. Clarence Matthews was interred in Cambridge Cemetery in Cambridge Massachusetts.
See also
References
- ^ a b c Lindholm, Karl (2000). "William Clarence Matthews: "The Jackie Robinson of His Day"". In Rutkoff, Peter M. (ed.). The Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture. Oneonta, NY: SUNY.
- ^ a b c Lindholm, Karl (1998). "William Clarence Matthews: Brief Life of a Baseball Pioneer, 1877–1928". Harvard Magazine. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ "Tuskegee University#Sports coaching records". Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2014.
- ^ "Famous First Facts And Records - Joseph Nathan Kane - Google Books". April 6, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2013 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Hoover, Brett; Eschenbach, Stephen. "Ivy Blackball". Ivy@50. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
- ^ S2CID 154202908.
- ^ a b c d e f Lindholm, Karl (1996). "William Clarence Matthews, a Baseball Pioneer" (PDF). Historic Roots: A Magazine of Vermont History. 1 (2): 10–16.
- ^ Nunn, William G. (January 14, 1928). "TALKS W G N: William Clarence Matthews". Pittsburgh Courier. pp. A4.
- ^ a b c d "Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation Newsletter – SPRING 2011 Straight Talk" (PDF). Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Crawford, William H. (October 25, 1924). "Predicts Negroes Will Aid Coolidge: William C. Matthews Asserts 90 per cent. of Vote of His Race will be Republican". The New York Times. p. 9.
- ^ Kaese, Harold (January 17, 1965). "Harvard Nine Defied South 60 Years Ago". Boston Globe.
- ^ "Baseball Media Center: The W.C. Matthews Trophy". Harvard Baseball. Retrieved October 30, 2012.