Jackie Robinson Day: Remembering those who came before
By David Hill
Even if Bill White was the first black player in the majors, his inclusion on such a list is relatively controversial.
It is known that White played one game for the Providence Grays back in 1879. He was 1-4 with a strikeout and run scored in the batter’s box, and handled all 12 of his chances at first flawlessly. White was the starting first baseman for the Brown University baseball team at the time, and was a fill in at first for Providence due to an injury to Joe Start.
White had an interesting background. He was born in 1860, the son of Andrew Jackson White, a merchant and plantation owner. White had three children with Hannah White, one of his slaves who was of mixed race. Bill was sent to a boarding school in Providence, and then eventually to Brown University to continue his education.
Where the controversy comes from involves how White represented himself. While he would have been considered black in his native Georgia, he passed as being white in the north. That background may have landed White his opportunity with Providence; although, had his actual lineage been known, it may have explained why he only had that one outing despite his relative success.
He was something of a mystery following his time in baseball. It was known that he had moved to Chicago, where he worked as a bookkeeper and a draughtsman. White married, and had three daughters. However, in 1917, his trail disappeared, as he was lost in the official records. Eventually, a death certificate for White was discovered, as he passed on March 29, 1937. What he did in those 20 years between his disappearance and his passing are a matter of speculation.
Based off of ancestry, Bill White could be considered the first black player in MLB history. However, as he passed himself off as being white, his inclusion is still somewhat controversial.