The President Meets the 1925 Senators

The President Meets the 1925 Senators

By visiting the Coolidge Museum between now and May 2013, you can see President Coolidge’s picture taken on the White House lawn with the 1925 Washington Senators - the baseball team, not the elected officials. The picture is on display to honor a baseball team that is having a great season, the Washington Nationals. They are still in the playoffs as I, a sad citizen of Red Sox Nation, write this blog.

The team photo is part of our new exhibit in the rotating display case titled, ‘…request the honor of your company.’ Famous people are invited to the White House, and we have found pictures of some interesting characters. Some names you will recognize, and some you will not. The concept of everyone having their fifteen minutes of fame is not a new one and certainly applies to a few of the people on display here.

The baseball picture is challenging. One surprise is that the biggest baseball fan in the Coolidge family, the President’s wife, Grace, is not there. You can see her pass to any American League stadium, if you visit the Coolidge Museum.

All of the men in the photo are numbered and their names listed at the side. Unfortunately, only last names are used. The man standing next to Coolidge has both first and last names listed. I had a Dad who was a big baseball fan so I knew right away that ‘Bucky Harris’ sounded familiar.

Harris joined the Senators for the 1919 season as an infielder who mostly played second base. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975 as a manager. Here is his bio from the Hall’s website www.baseballhall.org/hof/harris-bucky :

Bucky Harris spent seven different decades in the majors as a player, manager, executive, and scout. The Boy Wonder was 27 when he took over as player-manager of the Washington Senators in 1924, promptly winning two flags in a row. He hit .333 with two home runs to lead the Senators to a World Series title in 1924. Harris also managed the Tigers, the Red Sox and the Phillies, and led the Yankees to a World Championship in 1947. He won 2,159 games in 29 years as a manager.

You may have seen team photos before, but ours is unique in that the players are wearing suits and not uniforms. 

Post by Susan Well