Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1888 — A FAMOUS BASE-BALL MAGNATE. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A FAMOUS BASE-BALL MAGNATE.

Albert G. Spaulding, the President ol the Chicago Club.

The Chicago Inter Ocean, in its series of illustrated sketches of well-known Chicagoans, prints the following interesting biography of the now famous President of the Chicago Base-ball Club:

A leading New York newspaper asked the question of its readers, “Who are the ten best known Americans?” Of the hundreds of answers received 90 per cent, of them contained the name of Albert G. Spalding. In commenting upon the subject the editor said that of all the r names probably Mr. ’Spalding ’s was known to more of the inhabitants than any of the others, from

the fact that all the boys in the land were familiar with it, and the supremacy lay between A. G. Spalding and P. T. Barnum. Everybody in Chicago is acquainted with the name; it is a household word. There used to be a glue man named Spalding, but he had his day before “Al” got here. There is only one Spalding now, and he is the Base-Ball King. He came into prominence in 1876, when the great “big four” deal was made with Boston that transferred Spalding, White, McVey and Barnes from that city to this. The championship was won then and held for several years. Mr. Spalding became the secretary of the Chicago Ball Club, and in 1882 succeeded William A. Hulbert, who died, as president, an office which he has held ever since. Mr. Hulbert was the founder and president of the National League, and Mr. Spalding was elected president of the league up to within four years ago. A. G. Spalding was born in Bvron, IIL, September 2, 1850. He was educated in Rockford, 111, and became connected with the Forest City Ball Club in 1865. This club was the most prominent in the country at that time. In 1867 he came to Chicago and was bookkeeper for Meeker <t Baker. He returned to Rockford in 1870, and was bookkeeper for the Rockford Register. He was the pitcher for the Forest City Club in 1871, and that same year was engaged by the Boston club as pitcher and captain, a position he held until the end of the season of 1875, when he came to Chicago. He started the A. G. Spalding & Brothers’ store here at that time, and in 1877 retired from the ball field as a player, devoting his time to his business, which has grown to be the largest of its kind in the world. A branch store was opened in New York in 1884, and agents ar« established in every large city in Europe and America. Mr. Spalding’s latest venture is the prepara, tion of plans to take a double team of ball players to Australia at a personal expense of *30,000. As he was the manager of the Bos-ton-Athletic visit to England in 1875, he maj be said to have experience in this line,