Chick Fulmer

Charles John Fulmer
(Chick)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 158 lb.

• Debut June 5, 1871
• Final Game August 16, 1884
• Born February 13, 1851 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died February 15, 1940 in Philadelphia, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Chick Fulmer played 11 seasons in the major leagues, with the National Association at its inception, with the National League at its inception, and with the American Association, also at its inception. Primarily a shortstop at a time when fewer games were played in a season, he never appeared in more than 92 games in any one season.

Even before the existence of the first professional league he was playing in the late 1860s for the amateur Philadelphia Athletics.

Beginning at age 20, he played in all five seasons that the National Association existed, hitting .307 for the New York Mutuals in 1872, third highest on the squad. He was in the new National League in 1876 and in 1879 and 1880. He was a year younger than Davy Force, his teammate and fellow infielder on the Buffalo Bisons in 1879.

As a 31-year-old veteran, he still played well for the pennant-winning Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1882, hitting .281. In 1883, his 5 home runs and 52 RBI were among the league leaders, although his batting average was below the team average. But he was one of the oldest players in the league and his career went down after that.

He is the brother of Washington Fulmer, who was born in 1840.

Thirty years after the Civil War ended, Chick Fulmer told Sporting Life that he had been a drummer boy for the Southwark Guard in the war, a position not considered formal military service.

Sporting Life on January 22, 1916 remembered a game played in 1877 between Tecumseh and Allegheny (Pittsburgh), calling it "The First Minor League Interleague Series". The box score shows Fulmer played shortstop and batted fifth in the Allegheny lineup. In front of him in the order were Pud Galvin the pitcher and Ned Williamson the third baseman. Although it was technically a minor league team, every single player on the Allegheny team that year was a former or future major leaguer.

He was a National League umpire for a while in 1886; he had umpired a handful of contests in earlier seasons, starting in the National Association in 1872; he later umpired one game in the American Association in 1888. He also managed the Philadelphia Athletics in the Eastern Association in 1881 and Portland of the Eastern New England League in 1885. After baseball became a magistrate.

Related Sites

• Chick Fulmer at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors page