Chief Bender
| Birthdate | 5/5/1884 |
| Death Date | 5/22/1954 |
| Debut Year | 1903 |
| Year of Induction | 1953 |
| Teams | Athletics, Federal League, Phillies, White Sox |
| Position | Pitcher |
Born into the Ojibwe tribe, Charles “Chief” Bender has 212 career wins, a career winning percentage of .625, and a lifetime 2.46 ERA.
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Chief Bender passed away three months before his plaque was unveiled in August, 1954
Chief Bender passed away three months before his plaque was unveiled in August, 1954
Chief Bender won 212 games and pitched in five World Series during his 16-year big league career. Fifteen of those years were spent with Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics.
The glory years of Bender’s career came in the five-year period from 1910-1914. In that span he went 91-31 and pitched in four Fall Classics, winning three. Many believed his work earned Cooperstown consideration.
By the time he was elected in 1953, Bender was in poor health. This letter from the Hall’s president Paul Kerr is written to Bender coincidentally on the pitcher’s 70th birthday, May 5, 1954. Kerr congratulates Bender on his induction and writes about the unveiling of Bender’s plaque.
Kerr writes, “Your addition to the National Baseball Hall of Fame has been well deserved, and I was very happy to participate in your election.” Toward the end of the correspondence, Kerr acknowledges the the poor health of Bender, “I am sorry that you have been ill and I hope that you are able to be up and around to attend the game this year, together with the unveiling of the plaques, including your own on August 9th at Cooperstown.”
Bender did not live to see that unveiling as he died 17 days after Kerr wrote this letter.
Bender's nickname as a child was the Indian word meaning "Little Spirit Animal"
Bender's nickname as a child was the Indian word meaning "Little Spirit Animal"
The autograph of Chief Bender is found here in one of the more quirky pieces in the collection. The 1940 driver’s license shows a more formal example of his autograph as Bender has signed, “Charles A Bender” on the document.
Born in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, as a child Bender was given the Indian nickname “Mandowescence” meaning “Little Spirit Animal”.
A three-time World Series champ, Bender tied a record by pitching three complete games in the 1911 Fall Classic. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953
After retiring as a player, Chief Bender became a scout for the Athletics
After retiring as a player, Chief Bender became a scout for the Athletics
After concluding his major league playing career, Chief Bender excelled in a number of roles in baseball including service as a major league coach, minor league manager and player-manager, college manager and professional scout.
Shown here is his business card as scout for Connie Mack’s Philadelphia Athletics.
Philadelphia sportswriter Bill Duncan helped get Bender into Cooperstown
Philadelphia sportswriter Bill Duncan helped get Bender into Cooperstown
Chief Bender’s election to the Hall of Fame was due in no small part to the work of Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter Bill Duncan. Instrumental in gaining induction for fellow Gettysburg resident Eddie Plank inducted, Duncan also pushed for Bender’s Cooperstown inclusion.
In this letter of August 17, 1952 — the year before the Chief’s successful election — Duncan writes to Bender to let him know he’s enlisted the help of Bender’s former manager Connie Mack.
Duncan mentions Plank and fellow Athletics pitcher Jack Combs, “As a boy my great delight was to come down here from Gettysburg the three of you work.” A copy of the letter Duncan sent to Mack on Bender’s behalf is the next image in the collection.
Bill Duncan's childhood team was the Philadelphia Athletics of Bender and Eddie Plank
Bill Duncan's childhood team was the Philadelphia Athletics of Bender and Eddie Plank
Getting Eddie Plank and Chief Bender elected to the Hall of Fame was no small task for sportswriter Bill Duncan. A longtime Pennsylvania resident, Duncan’s favorite team in his boyhood was the Philadelphia Athletics led by Eddie Plank and Chief Bender.
Both pitchers were no longer on the writers’ ballot so Duncan enlisted the help of baseball icon Connie Mack. In this letter to the Athletics’ manager, Duncan writes, “…Eddie did not get into the Hall until you stepped into the picture and urged the Old Timers Committee to select him. I know that you agree that Chief Bender is away overdue…You carry tremendous weight in baseball. With the Chief’s ‘Day’ coming up, I suggest this is the appropriate time to see what can be done.”
With the help of Duncan, and of course one of the most powerful men in the game in Connie Mack, Eddie Plank gained induction in 1946. Chief Bender was elected in 1953, less than a year after Duncan took up his cause.
