John Callahan

John William Callahan

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown

• Debut September 3, 1898
• Final Game September 4, 1898
• Born October 3 1874 in Freeport, IL USA
• Died February 15, 1954 in Oklahoma City, OK USA

BR page

Biographical Information

John Callahan pitched two games for the last-place St. Louis Browns in 1898. He gave up 20 runs in less than 9 innings of work for a career ERA of 16.20.

Nothing further was known about him for the next century, until SABR researchers got on his case. Callahan grew up in Moberly, MO, where he is listed in the censuses of 1880 and 1900, the latter showing his profession as "ballplayer". These records state he was born in Illinois. When his mother, Hattie, died in 1932, her obituary listed her surviving son, John, living in Oklahoma. In the 1930 census, he is indeed listed among residents of Shawnee, having married Jessie Hudson of Oklahoma City in 1920. He had earlier served in World War I, as shown by newspaper records that have him among servicemen returning from France, and a draft registration for World War II exists, even though he would have been nearly 70 at the time, giving a precise birth record. In 1940, he was still living in Oklahoma City with his wife, according to census records. In 2011, Bill Carle found his grave at Rose Hill Cemetery in Oklahoma City, where he was buried next to his wife.

Further Reading

• "John Callahan", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, November/December 2011, p. 2.