Art Bader

Arthur Herman Bader

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 160 lb.
• School Washington University in Saint Louis
• High School Central High School (St. Louis)
• Debut August 2, 1904
• Final Game August 3, 1904
• Born September 21, 1886 in St. Louis, MO USA
• Died April 5, 1957 in St. Louis, MO USA

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Biographical Information

"President Frank Higgins, of Des Moines, has sold to the Chicago American League Club, Arthur Bader, star outfielder and the heaviest hitter in the Western League. Bader is the sensation of the season, and was obtained from Pueblo in a trade..." - Sporting Life, August 15, 1908, about Art Bader, who never appeared in a major league game with the White Sox

Art Bader, from St. Louis, came to the majors for two games with the St. Louis Browns at age 17 in 1904. His father, Herman Bader, was a minor league outfielder. He had been a semi-pro player who spent a number of years in the minors after his big league cameo, including four seasons with Des Moines.

Bader pursued law studies at Washington University in Saint Louis while playing baseball, finally obtaining his degree in 1910. Having been released by Des Moines that season, he returned to St. Louis, MO to open a law office. He also was active in local politics, becoming an assistant city attorney. Art was an early investor in the St. Louis Terriers of the short-lived Federal League and held a front office position with the team. He returned to practicing law after the league's collapse in 1915. In 1929, he was appointed a judge on the Missouri Court of Criminal Correction. He was also elected a circuit court judge, although, a Republican, he was defeated when the Democrats swept the 1936 elections behind President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1941, he became an excise commissioner for the city of St. Louis, responsible for the enforcement of liquor licenses. He took a health-related leave of absence from his duties early in 1957, but died of a heart attack a few weeks later, on April 5th.

Related Sites

• Art Bader at the SABR Bio Project
• Find-A-Grave Memorial for Art Bader