Charlie Grant

Charles Grant

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 160 lb.

• Born August 31, 1874 in Cincinnati, OH USA
• Died July 9, 1932 in Cincinnati, OH USA

Biographical Information

Second baseman Charlie Grant played in the Negro Leagues for fifteen years. He began his career with the 1896 Page Fence Giants and in 1899, joined the Columbia Giants. A light-skinned black man with straight hair, he worked as a bellboy at the Eastland Hotel in Hot Springs, AR. While there in 1901, he caught the eye of John McGraw during Spring Training. McGraw attempted to sign him to play for his Baltimore Orioles. McGraw attempted to pass Grant off as "Charlie Tokohama", a supposedly full-blooded Cherokee. "Chief" Tokohama (also spelled as Tokahama or Tokohoma) played with the Orioles during spring training. The plan was foiled when Charles Comiskey, president of the Chicago White Sox, identified Grant as Columbia's second baseman. Grant had been described by Sporting Life by a "phenomenal fielder" and good hitter. Almost two months after the identification of Charlie as black, McGraw still was trying to get Grant onto the team, continuing to claim he was a Native American.

Charlie moved to the Philadelphia Giants in 1902, the Cuban X-Giants in 1903 (.222 in a series against Philadelphia in his first extended time against top black competition) and back to Philadelphia in 1904 (.125). He hit .250 for Philadelphia in 1905 and .206 the next year. In a series against the Philadelphia A's, he went 0 for 8 in 1906. He hit .186 in Cuba that winter. After that, Grant bounced around minor black teams.

Sources:

• The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues by James Riley
• The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues by John Holway

Related Sites

• Charlie Grant at the SABR Bio Project