Ernest Sargent Barnard (July 17, 1874 – March 27, 1931) was the third President of the American League, serving from

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...

until his death in 1931. Born in

West Columbia, West Virginia West Columbia is an unincorporated community in Mason County, West Virginia, United States. West Columbia is located on the Ohio River and West Virginia Route 62, southwest of Mason. West Columbia has a post office with ZIP code 25287. The co ...

, he later resided in Delaware, Ohio. He graduated from Otterbein College in 1895, and became

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and baseball coach there until 1898. Moving to

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, he became secretary of the local Builders Exchange, and coached football at Ohio Medical University. In 1900 he became sports editor for '' The Columbus Dispatch''. Hired by the Cleveland Indians in 1903, he served that club as traveling secretary (1903–1908), vice president and de facto general manager (1908–1916, 1918–1922), and president (1922–1927). During this time he often acted as a mediator between American League president Ban Johnson and Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. He served under the Indians first owner, Charles Somers, and under their second, Jim Dunn. Dunn had initially fired Barnard upon taking over in 1917. Realizing he'd made a mistake, Dunn brought Barnard back to the team in 1918. Barnard stayed on as president after Dunn's death in 1922, running the team for Dunn's widow and estate. When AL owners removed Ban Johnson, the league's founder, from the league presidency in 1927, Barnard, after first clearing the way by arranging the sale of the Indians to a group headed by Alva Bradley, replaced Frank Navin who had served as acting president. Barnard was re-elected to a three-year term in December 9, 1930, but died suddenly three months later just prior to an examination at the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Acco ...

. Coincidentally, Johnson died just hours later. Barnard was buried at

Knollwood Cemetery Knollwood Cemetery is a cemetery located at 1678 SOM Center Road in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. Established in 1908, it is one of the largest cemeteries in Cuyahoga County. A mausoleum was completed in 1926, and an expansion finished in 1959. The cemet ...

in Cleveland.

References

Bibliography

* ''Biographical Dictionary of American Sports'', Greenwood Press (1987). *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnard, Ernest 1874 births 1931 deaths American League presidents Cleveland Indians executives Otterbein Cardinals baseball coaches Otterbein Cardinals football coaches Otterbein University alumni Burials at Knollwood Cemetery