John Humphries

John Henry Humphries
(Jack)

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.
• School Cornell University
• Debut July 7, 1883
• Final Game October 13, 1884
• Born November 12, 1861 in North Gower, ON CAN
• Died November 29, 1933 in Salinas, CA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

John Humphries, who was born in Canada, was the first major leaguer from Cornell University. He was at Cornell in 1880-1882 and then in the majors in 1883 and 1884. He later managed in the minors.

His manager in 1883 was John Clapp, who was born in Ithaca, NY, where Cornell is located. Humphries, primarily a catcher although he was lefthanded, backed up Buck Ewing on the New York Gothams in 1883.

The following season John split his time between the Gothams (where Clapp was no longer the manager) and the Washington Nationals of the American Association. He was the regular catcher for the Nationals, appearing in 49 of their 63 games. Frank Olin, another player out of Cornell University, was a teammate on the Nationals.

He was sometimes called Jack Humphries. His SABR biography, calling him Jack, indicates he married the daughter of a famous inventor, and after baseball sold insurance, taught Latin, and was a school principal. His son Rolfe became a well-known poet and classicist. One of his poems, Polo Grounds, from 1942, captures the sounds and atmosphere of the ballpark, and mentions his father in passing.

He died in 1933 in Salinas, CA, far from his birthplace of North Gower, ON.

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Playoffs	Notes
1885	Syracuse Stars	New York State League				Succeeded Henry Orsmbee
1886	Toronto Canucks	International League	53-41	3rd
1887	Rochester Maroons	International Association	49-52	7th

Related Sites

• Jack Humphries at the SABR Bio Project