George Washington Smith

George Washington Smith

• Born ~1820 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died February 18, 1899

Biographical Information

George Washington Smith was a Pre-MLB player who played for the New York Gothams starting around 1846. He was into doing ballet outside of baseball, and some sources refer to him as the "only male American ballet star of the 19th century." He taught ballet at Fox's American Theater as well as at the Hippodrome. While working at the Hippodrome, a dancer's costume caught on fire, and she died under Smith's supervision. Following this horrific event, he returned to his hometown of Philadelphia and opened his own dance academy.