Alexander G. Babcock

Pre-pro Baseball

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Date of Birth	1835
Date of Death	1894

Biography

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pastperfectonline/images/museum_269/007/20060703129.jpg

Alexander G. Babcock was born in New York and during the 1850s played for NYC-area clubs, including Atlantic of Brooklyn. However, when war broke out Babcock went south and joined the Confederate Army, eventually becoming First Sergeant of John Singleton Mosby's 43rd Virginia Cavalry, better known as Mosby's Raiders. In the photo of Mosby's officers linked above, Babcock is the man on the right. Remarkably, Babcock's fighting knife, engraved with his name, rank and regiment, has survived and was recently offered at auction: https://www.icollector.com/item.aspx?i=6969066

 

After the war Babcock settled in Richmond and took up the occupation of ice dealer. He also resumed his prewar avocation of ballplayer. He first founded the Richmond Club, quite likely the first in the city, and then founded a sort of standing All-Star team, the Pastime Club, of which he wass the captain and first baseman.

At his death in 1894 Babcock was interred in Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery together with many other of Virginia's notables, including US Presidents and Confederate generals, perhaps not unfittingly for Richmond's baseball pioneer.

Sources

https://acwm.org/blog/baseball-civil-war-richmond/

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Clubs

Club	Years	Roles	Edit Association with Player
Pastime Club of Richmond	1866-67	Initial Officer, Key Player
Richmond Club of Richmond		Founder, Key Player