Torbert MacDonald

Torbert Hart MacDonald
(Torby)

• School Harvard University

• Born June 6, 1917 in Everett, MA USA
• Died May 21, 1976 in Bethesda, MD USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

A roommate of John F. Kennedy at Harvard University, Torbert MacDonald was an All-American halfback and captain of the Harvard football team. He spent three years playing professional baseball, debuting in the 1937 Can-Am League, which he split between three teams, hitting .280.

Three years later MacDonald played briefly with the Easton Yankees of the Eastern Shore League (hitting just .214) and with the Can-Am League's Amsterdam Rugmakers, batting .379. The speedy outfielder hit .300 for Amsterdam the next season. Studying at Harvard law school in the off-season, MacDonald passed the bar in 1946.

In 1942 Torby joined the US Navy and commanded a boat in the south Pacific. While directing an attack on a Japanese troop transport fleet, MacDonald suffered a leg injury and successfully brought back his crew to their base. He won the Purple Heart and Silver Star.

MacDonald followed JFK into politics and defeated a Republican incumbent for a US House seat in 1954. He served in Congress from 1955-1976 and was known for crafting legislation. He was known for helping set up public television.

In 1976 MacDonald helped become a leading figure for the "right-to-die" movement when he asked to discontinue life-sustaining devices.

Main source: "Baseball's Canadian-American League" by David Pietrusza