Emil Edwin Fuchs (April 17, 1878 – December 5, 1961) was a German-born American

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

owner and executive.

Life

Fuchs was born in

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, Germany to Jewish parents, Hermann and Henrietta, but grew up on the Lower East Side of New York.Burton A. Boxerman and Benita W. Boxerman, ''Jews and Baseball'' (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., Inc., 2007), Vol. 1, p. 116-122. He received his LLB degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, and began practicing law in 1899. He was married to Oretta, and the couple had two sons (Job and Robert) and one daughter (Helen A. Meltzer). From 1902 to 1910 Fuchs was Deputy Attorney General for New York.

Career in baseball

Fuchs was the attorney for

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 ...

's New York Giants when he bought the Boston Braves with

Christy Mathewson Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "the Christian Gentleman", "Matty", and "the Gentleman's Hurler", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher, who played 17 seasons with the New York Gia ...

and James McDonough in 1922. Mathewson was originally intended to be the principal owner. However, Mathewson's precarious health (he'd suffered a severe case of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

shortly after World War I and never recovered) forced him to turn over the team presidency to Fuchs after the 1923 season. After Jack Slattery quit as manager, Fuchs hired

Rogers Hornsby Rogers Hornsby Sr. (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963), nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 193 ...

to manage the rest of the

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...

season. However, Fuchs was already in financial trouble, and was forced to sell Hornsby to the Chicago Cubs after the season. He then took over as his own manager, finishing in last place. The Philadelphia Phillies loaned Fuchs $35,000 to keep the Braves solvent. By 1935, he was in such dire straits that he could not afford the rent on Braves Field. When he learned that

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

's days as a

New York Yankee 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 ...

were numbered, Fuchs bought the slugger from Jacob Ruppert. The move returned the Babe to the city where he had begun his major league career; he'd played for the

Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

from 1914 to 1919. Ruth was named vice-president and assistant manager of the Braves, and promised a share of team profits. Fuchs also hinted that Ruth, who made no secret of his managerial ambitions, could become manager as early as 1936. Ruth soon realized that his titles were almost meaningless, and that Fuchs was merely using him in a last-ditch effort to revive his fortunes. Seeing a team in disarray, Ruth announced his retirement on June 1. Fuchs was forced to sell the team to minority partner Charles Adams on July 31, 1935. After selling the Braves, he resumed his law career. He died in Boston, Massachusetts.

Legacy

The Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America annually awards the Judge Emil Fuchs Memorial Award for Long and Meritorious Service to baseball.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuchs, Emil 1878 births 1961 deaths German emigrants to the United States New York University School of Law alumni American lawyers American people of German-Jewish descent Boston Braves managers Boston Braves owners Major League Baseball owners