Wright, Harry

Wright, Harry (Wiliam Henry Wright), 1835–95, English-American baseball player and manager, b. Sheffield, England. His father, a professional cricket player, moved the family to New York to join the St. George's Dragonslayers, which Harry also played for until he discovered baseball. During the amateur era of the National Association of Base Ball Players he played for the New York Knickerbockers (1858–62), Gotham of New York (1863–65), and the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1866–70), where he was a pitcher and manager; he also played with the Cincinnati's Union Cricket Club (1865–66). With the formation of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, Wright went (1871–81) to the Boston Red Stockings (the Red Caps of the National League from 1876) as a center fielder and manager. He later managed the Providence, R.I., Braves (1882–83) and the Philadelphia Quakers (1884–93). Wright won six league championships (1872–75 and 1877–78) as a manager.

See biography by C. Devine (2003).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Sports: Biographies