Walter Terry

Walter W. Terry

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown

• Debut April 26, 1875
• Final Game May 5, 1875
• Born April 7, 1850 in Middletown, PA USA
• Died February 20, 1908 in Elizabeth, NJ USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Walter Terry played six games for the Washington Nationals in 1875, at first base and in the outfield.

For a long time, he was identified simply as Terry. Other Terrys who were around at roughly the same time included Adonis Terry, who would have been too young to be this one; Terry Connell, who played one game for the 1874 Chicago White Stockings as a catcher; and Terry Larkin, who made his debut in 1876 as a pitcher (and later played infield and outfield). SABR researcher Peter Morris found information in 2010 that enabled the player to be finally identified.

In an article in the July 23, 1899 edition of the Reading Eagle (which is online), it is indicated that "Walter Terry, who was the old first baseman of the '75 Washington ball team, was the guest of his old friend, Larry Ressler, on Saturday evening. They had not met since they played ball together on the same team in '75." The article goes on to state that Terry was now a conductor on the Pennsylvania railroad. He had been living in Philadelphia, PA, where he worked in the New York Division of the railroad and was a senior member of the brotherhood of railroad conductors. He died in an apparent work-related accident on February 20, 1908, as he was found lying besides the tracks in Colonia, NJ, seriously injured. He had apparently hit his head on a fence post while leaning out of the cabin to look out the side of the train, although there were no witnesses to confirm this. He was taken by ambulance to the General Hospital in Elizabeth, NJ and died there, either en route or shortly after arrival (newspaper accounts diverge on this point). He was buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Further Reading

• "Walter Terry", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, July/August 2010, pp. 2-3.