August Joseph "Gus" Williams, Jr. (May 7, 1888 – April 16, 1964), known also as "Gloomy" Gus Williams, was a German American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

player whose career spanned 10 seasons, five of which were spent in

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), ...

(MLB) with the

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

(1911–1915). Over his major league career, Williams batted .263 with 171 runs scored, 367 hits, 58 doubles, 31 triples, 12 home runs, 147

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBIs), and 95 stolen bases in 410 games played. Williams career started out in 1909 with the

Monmouth Browns Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. ...

of the Class-D Illinois–Missouri League. After playing in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

for two seasons, Williams made his major league debut in 1911. He had another stint in the majors in 1912. In 1913, Williams served as the Browns regular outfielder. He was a

dead-ball era In baseball, the dead-ball era was the period from around 1900 to the emergence of Babe Ruth as a power hitter in 1919, when he hit a then-major league record 29 home runs; only three players since 1890 had even hit 20. This era was characterized ...

power hitter Power hitter is a term used in baseball for a skilled player that has a higher than average ability in terms of his batting, featuring a combination of dexterity and personal strength that likely leads to a high number of home-runs as well as dou ...

for the Browns, ranking in the top-10 amongst

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 ...

hitters in home runs during the 1913 and 1914 seasons. He led the league in strikeouts in 1914. Williams would make his last appearance in the major leagues during the 1915 season. He would go on to play in the minors with the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

(1915), Nashville Volunteers (1916),

Louisville Colonels The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...

(1917), and Indianapolis Indians (1918). In the minors, he compiled a career batting average of .293 with 838 hits in 759 games played. Williams also played semi-professional baseball after leaving the professional circuit. He batted and threw left-handed. During his baseball career, Williams stood at and weighed .

Early life

Gus Williams was born on May 7, 1888, in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, to August, Sr. and Clara Williams of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, respectively. The two had four other children, Frank, Ross, Reed, and Weston. August Williams, Sr., whose parents hailed from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, was a

fire chief A fire chief or fire commissioner is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department. Nomenclature Various official English-language titles for a fire chief include ''fire chief'', ''chief fire officer'' and ''fire commissioner' ...

in Omaha. Gus Williams had five siblings; sisters Mamie, Carie, Louisa, and Theresia; and brother

Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

. Harry would go on to play two seasons with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

(1913–14). For much of his adolescent life, he worked in a

meat packing plant The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally no ...

in Omaha. In 1908, Williams tried out with the

Lincoln Railsplitters Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He was turned away from their training camp after he was too "wild". Later in 1908, he signed with the minor league Marion Diggers of the Class-D

Ohio State League The Ohio State League was a minor league baseball league that operated in numerous seasons between 1887 and 1947, predominantly as a Class D level league. League franchises were based in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Histo ...

, again as a pitcher. However, Williams joined a semi-professional league and did not play with the Marion club.

Professional career

Early minor league career (1909–1910)

In 1909, Williams signed with the minor league Lincoln Railsplitters, who he had tried out with a year before. Lincoln then farmed Williams out to the

of the Class-D Illinois–Missouri League. He was used as a pitcher for the Browns until June when

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 ...

John Corbett John Joseph Corbett Jr. (born May 9, 1961) is an American actor and country music singer. On television, he is best known for his roles as Chris Stevens on ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), Aidan Shaw on ''Sex and the City'' (2000–2003), ...

converted Williams to an

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

. In September, a scout from the

saw Williams play and reported back to the team's management that they should sign him. He was drafted later that month by the Browns in

's (MLB) rule 5 draft. The Browns had to pay Monmouth US$300 in accordance with the draft, but the Lincoln club contested the transaction, since Williams' contract was still owned by the Railsplitters. The National Commission ruled that Lincoln should receive the compensation from the Browns, since Williams was still under contract with them. Williams finished the season with the Monmouth club. He compiled a .327

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

with 64 hits, 10 doubles, 15 triples, and two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. Williams finished the season first in the Illinois–Missouri League in slugging percentage (.555), tied for first in triples, and fourth in batting average. 1910 Monmouth Browns

Williams again played with the Monmouth Browns in 1910, who were now members of the Class-D

Central Association The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. It began operations in 1908, as it was essentially renamed from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association ran continuously through 1917. It was reorganized thirty year ...

. In July, as a member of the Monmouth club, Williams hit a home run during an exhibition game against the MLB Chicago Cubs, which ended in the Cubs favor by a score of 5–to–4. By the end of the season, Williams had compiled a .290 batting average with 138 hits, 30 doubles, 11 triples, and seven home runs in 128 games played. Amongst league batters, he was second in triples, third in

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, whil ...

(211), and fourth in slugging percentage (.443). After the season, the St. Louis Browns stated their intent for Williams to make his MLB debut during the 1911 season.

St. Louis Browns (1911–1915)

During spring training in 1911, Williams played with the St. Louis Browns. He made his MLB debut on April 12, against the

Cleveland Naps The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive ...

. In that game, he had three hits, which included two doubles, in three at-bats. With the Browns that season, he batted .269 with one run scored, seven hits, three doubles, and four

(RBIs) in nine games played. He was assigned to the Omaha Rourkes of the Class-A Western League in mid-May. In July, Williams was benched due to poor play. The ''Lincoln Evening News'' stated that Williams had trouble hitting curveballs. On the season, Williams batted .303 with 149 hits 26 doubles, 15 triples, and 10 home runs in 128 games played. He was third in the league in home runs; and was tied for fifth in triples, and slugging percentage (.478). Gus Williams

Williams joined the Montgomery Rebels of the Class-A

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cla ...

at the start of the 1912 season. On June 17, Williams quit the Montgomery club after he stated it was too hot to play baseball in the area. He returned to his home-town of Omaha, where he played during the 1911 season where he asked the team for a contract. John Dobbs, the president of the Rebels telegraphed Williams at his home in Omaha that Montgomery would raise his salary if he returned to the team. However, Williams stated he did not want to return to the Montgomery team that season. In 57 games played with the Rebels that season, he batted .286 with 54 hits. Williams joined the St. Louis Browns in July. Williams made his MLB season debut on July 27, against the

New York Highlanders The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one o ...

. In that game, he got one hit, a double, in three at-bats. In August, Williams replaced Heinie Jantzen as the Browns every-day outfielder. Williams' first career MLB home run came on September 27, against

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 ...

pitcher Frank Lange. During the next game on September 28, Williams hit his second career home run, also against Frank Lange. On the season, he batted .292 with 32 runs scored, 63 hits, 13 doubles, seven triples, two home runs, 32 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases in 64 games played. In 1913, Williams played his first full season in the majors. During spring training that season, he reportedly exceeded the expectations of St. Louis Browns manager

George Stovall George Thomas Stovall (November 23, 1877 – November 5, 1951), nicknamed "Firebrand", was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Cleveland Naps and the St. Louis Browns in the American League, and he also played two ...

. In May, a syndicated column "Ball and Bat Notes" had a section calling Williams "one of the best fielders in the country". Williams batted .273 with 72 runs scored, 147 hits, 21 doubles, 16 triples, five home runs, 51 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases in 148 games played. Amongst

batters, Williams was second in strikeouts (87); tied for fourth with

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the ...

in triples; tied for fifth with

Rube Oldring Reuben Henry "Rube" Oldring (May 30, 1884 – September 9, 1961) was a professional baseball player who played outfield in the major leagues from 1905 to 1918. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Yankees. Early life Oldring was ...

, and Danny Moeller in home runs; tied for sixth with Oldring in at-bats per home runs (107.6), and eighth in

extra base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire ano ...

s (42). Williams re-signed with the St. Louis Browns in March 1914. The Browns feared that Williams would sign with a

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

team, since it was reported in February that he was in talks with the

Kansas City Packers The Kansas City Packers were a Federal League baseball club in Kansas City from 1914 to 1915. They finished sixth in 1914 with a 67–84 record, and fourth in 1915 with an 81–72 record. The Packers moved to Kansas City in July 1913 from Coving ...

, however he continued his tenure with St. Louis. Williams led the American League in batting average until the beginning of June. At one point in the season, Williams was sustaining a .452 batting average, with

Sam Crawford Samuel Earl Crawford (April 18, 1880 – June 15, 1968), nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Crawford batted and threw left-handed, stood tall and weighed . Born in Wahoo, Nebraska, he had a s ...

, and

Shoeless Joe Jackson Joseph Jefferson Jackson (July 16, 1887 – December 5, 1951), nicknamed "Shoeless Joe", was an American outfielder who played Major League Baseball (MLB) in the early 1900s. Although his .356 career batting average is the fourth highest ...

trailing behind that. On June 26, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' reported that Williams hit one of the longest home runs ever at

Sportsman's Park Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri. All but one of these were located on the same piece of land, at the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, on th ...

. Sportswriter Charles Bartlett stated that St. Louis manager Branch Rickey was the reason for Williams success that year, writing: "Branch Rickey is the man who made a star of Gus Williams. Who ever heard of illiamsplaying the brand of ball he's been exhibiting this year". In July, Williams went into a slump, causing manager Rickey to position him at the sixth spot in the Browns batting order. On the season, Williams batted .253 with 51 runs scored, 126 hits, 19 doubles, six triples, four home runs, 47 RBIs, and 35 stolen bases. He led American League hitters in strikeouts that season (120). Williams was also tied for seventh with

Howie Shanks Howard Samuel Shanks (July 21, 1890 – July 30, 1941) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1912 to 1925 for the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees. Shanks made ...

Marty Kavanagh Martin Joseph Kavanagh (June 13, 1891 – July 28, 1960) was an American baseball player. He played professional baseball for six years from 1913 to 1918, including five seasons in Major League Baseball with the Detroit Tigers (1914–1916, 1918) ...

Tris Speaker Tristram Edgar Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "the Gray Eagle", was an American professional baseball player. Considered one of the greatest players in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), he compiled a career ba ...

, and Jimmy Walsh in home runs; and tied for ninth with

Donie Bush Owen Joseph "Donie" Bush (; October 8, 1887Sources differ as to Bush's date of birth. Sources listing the date as October 8, 1887, include (i) baseball-reference.com, and (ii) findagrave.com. Sources listing the date as October 3, 1887, include ( ...

, and Ty Cobb in stolen bases. In late-February 1915, Williams re-signed with the St. Louis Browns, and reported to their spring training in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Browns manager Branch Rickey stated before the start of the season that he expected Williams to have a more productive season then 1914. The ''Kingston Daily Freeman'' called Williams the "best bad ball player" that season. With St. Louis that season, he batted .202 with 15 runs scored, 24 hits, two doubles, two triples, one home run, 11 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases in 45 games played. He made his last MLB appearance on June 18.

Later career (1915–1918)

On August 21, 1915, the St. Louis Browns traded Williams to the minor league

of the Double-A International League in exchange for a pitcher to be named later. On the season with Toronto, Williams batted .285 with 97 hits, 15 doubles, nine triples, and eight home runs in 90 games played. He finished the seasons fifth in the International League in home runs. After the season, Williams wrote

Rowdy Elliott Harold Bell Elliott owdy(July 8, 1890 – February 12, 1934) was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Doves, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Robins in parts of five seasons spanning 1910–1920. Listed at 5' 9", 160 lb., El ...

, the manager of the Oakland Oaks, requesting a chance to try out for the team. Elliott said that he was not interested in another left-handed hitter, as he already had outfielders Rube Gardner and

Robert Middleton Robert Middleton (born Samuel G. Messer, May 13, 1911 – June 14, 1977) was an American film and television actor known for his large size, beetle-like brows, and a deep, booming voice (for which he was known as "Big Bob Middleton"), usually ...

, who were also left-handed. Before the start of the 1916 season, Williams signed with the Nashville Volunteers of the Class-A Southern Association. The Volunteers won the Southern Association Championship that year. As a member of the winning team, Williams received a cash reward, and supply of cake from a local

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

bakery. With the Volunteers, he batted .298 with 156 hits, 33 doubles, 13 triples, and five home runs in 138 games played. Williams led the league in doubles, was second in hits, tied for second with Joe Harris in total bases (230), and tied for third with

Ham Hyatt Robert Hamilton Hyatt (November 1, 1884 – September 11, 1963) was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1909 to 1918 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Yankees. ...

in triples. At the end of the 1916 season, Williams was selected by the Double-A

of the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

in the minor league draft. He played the entire 1917 season with the Colonels, batting .279 with 161 hits, 29 doubles, 24 triples, and seven home runs in 148 games played. Williams led the American Association in triples; was fifth in doubles; and tied for fifth with Dave Altizer, Johnny Beall,

Ray Demmitt Charles Raymond Demmitt (February 2, 1884 – February 19, 1956) was a professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from - for the New York Highlanders, St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago White Sox. Demmitt ...

Cozy Dolan Patrick Henry "Cozy" Dolan (December 3, 1872 – March 29, 1907) was an American professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Beaneaters, Chicago Orphans, Brooklyn Superbas, Chicago White Sox and ...

, and Fred Nicholson in home runs. After the season, Louisville traded Williams, along with

Red Corriden John Michael "Red" Corriden (September 4, 1887 – September 28, 1959) was a player, coach, manager and scout in American Major League Baseball. A shortstop and third baseman in his playing days, Corriden appeared in 223 big league games with the ...

, to the Indianapolis Indians, who like the Colonels were members of the American Association. Williams batted in the lead-off spot in the Indians batting order. He primarily played right field for the Indians. The Indians were in talks with the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

to send Williams back to the majors, but negotiations fell through, resulting in him staying in Indianapolis. On the season, Williams batted .279 with 19 hits, four doubles, and three triples in 17 games played. That season would prove to be his last in professional baseball.

Later life

In July 1918, Williams signed with the semi-professional Allegheny Steel team, based out of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. By 1930, Williams was living in

Sterling, Illinois Sterling is a city in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,782 at the 2020 census, down from 15,370 in 2010. Formerly nicknamed "Hardware Capital of the World", the city has long been associated with manufacturing an ...

, with his wife Hazel, and their two daughters. Williams and his wife worked out of their own office as

chiropractor Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudoscien ...

s. In 1942, Williams was working for a Stewart Warner in Sterling. Williams died on April 16, 1964, at the age of 75 in Sterling. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Sterling.

References

;General references # # ;Inline citations

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Gus 1888 births Baseball players from Omaha, Nebraska Major League Baseball outfielders Baseball pitchers Monmouth Browns players Omaha Rourkes players St. Louis Browns players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Nashville Vols players Louisville Colonels (minor league) players Indianapolis Indians players American chiropractors Semi-professional baseball players 1964 deaths People from Sterling, Illinois Burials in Illinois