Frank L. Hough

Frank Leonardo Hough
also known as Frank Lewis Hough

• Born c. 1858
• Died September 15, 1913 in Philadelphia, PA USA

Biographical Information

Frank L. Hough was both the sports editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer and a minority owner of the Philadelphia Athletics, holding a 12.5% share in the team, in the first decade of the 20th century. This can easily be viewed as a conflict of interest, especially as he also worked as the team's Secretary around the same time. Another journalist, Sam Jones of the Associated Press also held a 12.5% share; Ben Shibe owned 50% and Connie Mack the other 25%.

In any case, Hough was very much a defender of the upstart league in its dealings with the established National League, for example alleging that the rival Philadelphia Phillies had treated OF Bill Duggleby as "human chattel" before he jumped to the new circuit. Of course, Duggleby was not the only player to bail out on the Phillies, who had been a very good team in the 1890s - others like Napoleon Lajoie and Ed Delahanty followed suit, and soon the Phillies were but a shell of their former selves, who would lose the battle for fans in the City of Brotherly Love by a landslide.

He sold his interests in the Athletics to Connie Mack in 1912 and died a year later at age 55.

Related Sites

• Article from Baseball History Daily