Harry Taylor (1890s first baseman)

Harry Taylor
Taylor circa 1926
First baseman
Born: (1866-04-04)April 4, 1866
Halsey Valley, New York, U.S.
Died: July 12, 1955(1955-07-12) (aged 89)
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Unknown
MLB debut
April 18, 1890, for the Louisville Colonels
Last MLB appearance
September 29, 1893, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Batting average.286
Home runs3
Runs batted in176
Stats at Baseball Reference 
Teams
Harry Taylor
Associate Justice of the Fourth Judicial Department
In office
1924–1936
Appointed byAl Smith

Harry Leonard Taylor (April 4, 1866 – July 12, 1955) was an American professional baseball player who played for the American Association's Louisville Colonels and the National League's Baltimore Orioles.

Taylor played baseball at Cornell University before finishing his undergraduate degree in 1888.[1]

After playing well in the minor leagues, Taylor reached the major leagues; he was signed on 23 October 1889 by the Louisville Colonels. The Colonels were coming off a horrendous season in which they'd finished in last place in the American Association, but the 1890 Louisville Colonels season made history; the team won the league championship, thereby becoming the first major league team to go from last place to first place in the span of a single year. The club's historic achievement is celebrated in The 1890 Louisville Cyclones, a 2026 book written by Perry T. Cooper and published by McFarland & Company, Publishers.[2] Harry Taylor was the club's starting first baseman, and he played very well, hitting .306 and helping the club win its unexpected championship. He played in every one of the Louisville club's games in 1890.

During his baseball career, Taylor attended Cornell Law School each offseason. Oddly, despite the fact that he was a professional player (his career as a major league player didn't end until October 1893), in January 1893 he was named captain of Cornell's baseball team.[3] After law school, he began practicing law in Buffalo, New York.[4] In the early twentieth century, he was president of the International League, then known as the Eastern League. In 1906, Taylor was appointed to the county court of Erie County by Governor Frank W. Higgins. In 1913, he was elected to the Supreme Court for Erie County. However, before he could complete his term, he was appointed to the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Department by Governor Al Smith in 1924.[5]

Harry Taylor died at age 89 in Buffalo, New York. He was a lifelong bachelor.

References

  1. ↑ Kritzer, Cy (February 7, 1933). "Athletics Develop Initiative, Says Justice Harry L. Taylor". The Buffalo News. p. 18. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ Cooper, Perry (2026). The 1890 Louisville Cyclones. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN 978-1-4766-9993-6. OCLC 2026007696.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ↑ "Baseball at Cornell". Star-Gazette. January 13, 1893. p. 6. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Orioles Want Harry Taylor". The Buffalo Enquirer. June 13, 1894. p. 8. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Justice Taylor Goes to Appellate Bench". The Buffalo News. August 27, 1924. p. 1. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
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