Edith Houghton

Edith Grace Houghton
(The Kid)

• Born February 10, 1912 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died February 2, 2013 in Sarasota, FL USA

Biographical Information

A child prodigy at baseball, Edith Houghton played on several barnstorming teams as a teenager during the 1920s and 1930s. At age 13 in 1925, she played against a team of men in Japan. After serving in the Navy during World War II, she became the first female scout in major league history, working for the Philadelphia Phillies from 1946 to 1952. She reportedly signed 15 players over that span, but none reached the majors.

Further Reading

• Audrey Vernick: "The Kid from Diamond Street: The Extraordinary Story of Baseball Legend Edith Houghton, Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY, 2016. ISBN 978-0-5446-1163-4

Related Sites

• Edith Houghton at the SABR Bio Project
• New York Times obituary