Charles Grant Jr. (August 31, 1874 – July 9, 1932) was an American second baseman in

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

. During his 20-year career, he played for some of the best teams in the Negro leagues. Grant nearly crossed the

baseball color line The color line, also known as the color barrier, in American baseball excluded players of black African descent from Major League Baseball and its affiliated Minor Leagues until 1947 (with a few notable exceptions in the 19th century before the li ...

in 1901 when

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890 ...

attempted to pass him off as a Native American named "Tokohama"."Grant Ordered to Baltimore" Fort Wayne Morning Journal-Gazette, Fort Wayne, IN, Sunday, May 19, 1901, Page 5, Column 5
/ref>

Background

Grant was born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, the son of an African American

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

, Charles Grant, and mother, Mary.Riley, p. 330.Peterson, p. 56. A good fielder, Grant was of "medium height", weighed approximately 160 pounds, and hit right-handed.Peterson, p. 54 gives a description of Grant (as "Tokohama") from '' Sporting Life''. When star second basemen

Sol White King Solomon "Sol" White (June 12, 1868 – August 26, 1955) was an American professional baseball infielder, manager and executive, and one of the pioneers of the Negro leagues. An active sportswriter for many years, he wrote the first definit ...

and

Bud Fowler Bud Fowler (March 16, 1858 – February 26, 1913), born "John W. Jackson", was an American baseball player, manager (baseball), manager, and club organizer. He is the earliest known African-American player in organized professional baseball. He ...

left the

Page Fence Giants The Page Fence Giants were a professional Black-American baseball team based in Adrian, Michigan, from 1895 to 1898, performing as one of the nation's top teams in the Negro leagues. Named after the Page Woven Wire Fence Company in Adrian, they ...

after just one season, Grant replaced them in 1896. Grant and Page Fence defeated White's new team, the

Cuban X-Giants The Cuban X-Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team that played from 1896 to 1906. Originally most of the players were former Cuban Giants, or ex-Giants. Like the Cuban Giants, the original players were not Cuban (though the team woul ...

, ten games to five to win an 1896 championship series played in various southern Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio towns.White, p. 37, Malloy, p. xxxv.Lutzke, p. 241 Page Fence disbanded in 1899, and Grant moved with most of the players to the

Columbia Giants The Columbia Giants were a professional, black baseball team based in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century, prior to the Negro leagues. Founding In 1899, a group known as the Columbia Club, organized the Columbia Giants under the direction ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

.Bak, p. 49. He also captained the

for at least part of one season.

Tokohama

After spending 1900 with Columbia, Grant was working as a

bellhop A bellhop (North America), or hotel porter (carrier), porter (international), is a hotel employee who helps patrons with their luggage while check-in, checking in or out. Bellhops often wear a uniform (see bell-boy hat), like certain other Page (a ...

at the Eastman Hotel in

Hot Springs, Arkansas Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...

in March 1901. John McGraw and the new

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

began training that season in Hot Springs and staying at the Eastland. McGraw saw Grant playing baseball with his co-workers around the hotel and recognized that Grant had a level of talent suitable for the major leagues.Peterson, p. 54. McGraw decided to disguise the light-skinned, straight-haired Grant as a

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

and gave him the name Charlie Tokohama, anecdotally after noticing a creek named "Tokohama" on a map in the hotel. McGraw's scheme began unravelling when the team travelled to Chicago, where Grant had played for the previous few years. To celebrate Grant's return, his African American friends staged a conspicuous ceremony, including a

flower bouquet A flower bouquet is a collection of flowers in a creative arrangement. Flower bouquets can be arranged for the decor of homes or public buildings, or may be handheld. Handheld bouquets are classified by several different popular shapes and style ...

.White, p. 78.

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

President

Charles Comiskey Charles Albert Comiskey (August 15, 1859 – October 26, 1931), nicknamed "Commy" or "The Old Roman", was an American Major League Baseball player, manager and team owner. He was a key person in the formation of the American League, and was also ...

soon objected to "Tokohama" and affirmed that he was actually Grant.Peterson, p. 55. Grant maintained his disguise, claiming that his father was white and that his mother was Cherokee and living in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

.Peterson, pp. 55–56. McGraw initially persisted but later claimed that "Tokohama" was inexperienced, especially on defense, and left him off his

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...

roster. Grant returned to the Columbia Giants and never played in the major leagues.

Later life

Grant played for the

in 1903. After

Philadelphia Giants The Philadelphia Giants were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1902 to 1911. From 1904 to 1909 they were one of the strongest teams in black baseball, winning five eastern championships in six years. The team was organized by Sol Whi ...

were defeated in the 1903 "colored championship", White overhauled the team including hiring Charlie Grant to replace Frank Grant (no relation).White, Malloy, p. xxxv.White, Malloy, p. xl. In 1905, Charlie Grant, White,

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

Home Run Johnson Grant U. "Home Run" Johnson (September 23, 1872 – September 4, 1963) was an American shortstop and second baseman in baseball's Negro leagues. In a career that spanned over 30 years, he played for many of the greatest teams of the deadball era ...

, and

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

were considered one of the best infields in Negro League history.White, Malloy, p. xxxviii. Grant and the Giants won the championship in 1906. He also played for the Fe club in 1906."Charlie Grant Negro League Statistics & History"
baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 8, 2012. He later played for the

Lincoln Giants The Lincoln Giants were a Negro league baseball team based in New York City from 1911 through 1930. Founding The Lincoln Giants can trace their origins back to the Nebraska Indians, of Lincoln, Nebraska, from the 1890s. According to Sol White, ...

, Quaker Giants, New York Black Sox, and Cincinnati Stars, last playing in 1916. Grant's 1918 military registration card lists his home address as 802 Blair Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his birth date as August 31, 1877 – three years later than his accepted birth date. His mother is listed as a contact at the same address, and his employment as "janitor" at the same address as his home, through a company called "Thomas Emery and Sons.""United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K6F3-FC5 : accessed 26 Feb 2013), Charles Grant
/ref> In July 1932, Grant was killed while sitting in front of a Cincinnati apartment building where he worked as a janitor. A passing automobile hit him after its tire exploded. Grant was buried in

Spring Grove Cemetery Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum () is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham L ...

, and his grave is a short distance from fellow second baseman,

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Miller Huggins Miller James Huggins (March 27, 1878 – September 25, 1929) was an American professional baseball player and manager. Huggins played second base for the Cincinnati Reds (1904–1909) and St. Louis Cardinals (1910–1916). He managed the ...

Notes

References

* * Lutzke, Mitch, (2018). The Page Fence Giants, A History of Black Baseball's Pioneering Champions. McFarland & Company, Inc. Jefferson, North Carolina. * * *(Riley.
Charlie Grant
Personal profiles at Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. – identical to Riley (confirmed 2010-04-13) *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Charlie 1874 births 1932 deaths 20th-century African-American people Club Fé players Columbia Giants players Cuban X-Giants players Lincoln Giants players Page Fence Giants players Philadelphia Giants players American expatriate baseball players in Cuba Baseball players from Cincinnati Pedestrian road incident deaths Road incident deaths in Ohio Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery