Deacon White
| Birthdate | 12/2/1847 |
| Death Date | 7/7/1939 |
| Debut Year | 1871 |
| Year of Induction | 2013 |
| Teams | Bisons, Reds |
| Positions | Catcher, Third Base |
Widely considered the best catcher of the barehanded era, Deacon White caught the most games of the 1870s and played on 5 championship teams.
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Deacon White was one of the finest players of the 1880s
Deacon White was one of the finest players of the 1880s
A third baseman and catcher from 1871-1890, Deacon White found his way into the Hall of Fame in 2013, more than 100 years after his retirement. In the collection is a scorecard filled out by Hall of Famer Harry Wright, in which Deacon White plays third base for the Buffalo Bisons.
Wright the was the manager of the Providence Grays the day they took the field on June 5, 1883 and has penned his “HW” initials initialed in the scorer’s box. The Buffalo team has four future members of the Hall of Fame in the lineup including Dan Brouthers, Jim O’Rourke, Pud Galvin, and White.
White is the senior-most player elected to the Hall of Fame with a birthdate of December 2, 1847.
Upon retirement Deacon White ranked high on the offensive leaderboard
Upon retirement Deacon White ranked high on the offensive leaderboard
Deacon White’s 20-year playing career was among the most prolific of his day. From 1871-1890 only Hall of Famer Cap Anson had more runs batted in.
White retired fourth on the all time list in games played, hits, and total bases. As the decades passed, White slipped down the leaderboard and out of the public consciousness.
Shown here is a lineup card from the first game of a doubleheader on August 26, 1985. Hitting third for the Brewers that day was Cecil Cooper.
It was a great day for Cooper who collected four hits and four runs batted in. The first of those RBI gave Cooper 989 for his career – one more than Deacon White.
The final two RBI also moved him passed Cooperstown men Ernie Lombardi and Home Run Baker. The historic game-used lineup card is signed by Cooper at the top left corner and by Brewers manager George Bamberger at the bottom.
White's daughter Grace advocated for his Hall of Fame induction
White's daughter Grace advocated for his Hall of Fame induction
Grace White Watkins, the daughter of Deacon White pushed long and hard for her father’s Hall of Fame induction.
In the collection is a letter from Paul Kerr, the eventual president of the Hall of Fame to Watkins about her father’s Hall of Candidacy.
Kerr writes in part, “I have your letter of September 14th together with a copy of a letter dated August 1, 1951 to Mr. Connie Mack in reference to the possibility of your father’s being elected to the Hall of Fame.
“I have known of Deacon White for many years and his name has been considered by the committee. I shall be glad however to bring it to the attention of the committee when we hold our next meeting…”
Ms. White Watkins did not live to see her father’s induction in 2013.
