Morgan Bulkeley
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| Morgan Gardner Bulkeley | |
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| In office 1889 – 1893 |
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| Lieutenant | Samuel E. Merwin |
| Preceded by | Phineas C. Lounsbury |
| Succeeded by | Luzon B. Morris |
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| Born | December 26, 1837 East Haddam, Connecticut |
| Died | November 6, 1922 (aged 84) |
| Political party | Republican |
Morgan Gardner Bulkeley (December 26, 1837 - November 6, 1922) was an American politician as well as business and sports executive. Bulkeley, a Republican, served as governor of Connecticut and a United States Senator and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the first president of the National League.
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[edit] Early life, career and war
Bulkeley was born in East Haddam, Connecticut to an old local family. Both of his parents were descended from passengers of the Mayflower more than 200 years prior.[1] The Bulkeleys had called nearby Colchester their home and until Morgan's death always believed it as such.[citation needed] He was also related to the well known Morgan family through his mother.[citation needed] He was educated at Bacon Academy in Colchester just like his father and his cousins on both sides.[citation needed] In 1846, the Bulkeley family moved to Hartford, Connecticut.[2] Morgan's father, Eliphalet Adams Bulkeley, was prominent in the Connecticut Republican Party and helped found the Aetna Life Insurance Company, becoming its first president in 1853.[3][4] He was also a descendant of the third President of Harvard University, Charles Chauncy.[2] Morgan Bulkeley attended Hartford Public High School and, at age 14, started working at the Aetna sweeping floors for a dollar a day.[1][3]
Bulkeley left Hartford to work for his uncle's company, H. P. Morgan & Company, in Brooklyn, New York. He was an errand boy in Brooklyn in 1852 and later worked as a salesman.[2][3] At the outbreak of the Civil War, Bulkeley enlisted with the Thirteenth New York Volunteers[3] as a private[citation needed] for the Union Army. He served under General George B. McClellan in the Peninsula Campaign and later under General Joseph K. Mansfield.[2]
After the Civil War, Bulkeley returned to Morgan & Company. When his father died in 1872, Bulkeley returned to Hartford and helped form the United States Bank of Hartford, becoming its first president.[2] He later served on Aetna's board of directors.[1]
[edit] Baseball and politics
After returning to Hartford in the early days of professional baseball, Bulkeley formed the Hartford Dark Blues of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in 1874. In 1875, the team featured Hall of Fame pitcher, Candy Cummings, and player-manager, Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson. In 1876, the NAPBBP was replaced by the National League. Hartford was one of the charter members and Bulkeley was named the league's first president. In his only season as president, he targeted illegal gambling, drinking and fan rowdiness.[5] After the season, he was replaced as president by William Hulbert. Bulkeley was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937, 15 years after his death.
Bulkeley's short career as a baseball executive coincided with the beginning of his political career. From 1874 to 1876, he served on the Hartford Common Council[1] and the Board of Aldermen.[3][6] When Thomas O. Enders resigned Aetna's presidency due to ill health in 1879, Bulkeley became the company's third president.[4] In 1880, Bulkeley ran for both Mayor of Hartford and Governor of Connecticut. He lost the gubernatorial race but won the mayoral race and was Hartford's mayor from 1880 to 1888.[3]
While mayor of Hartford, on February 11, 1885, Bulkeley married Fannie Briggs Houghton in San Francisco, California. They had two sons and a daughter.[3]
In 1888, Bulkeley again ran for governor. In the election, Luzon B. Morris accumulated more votes than Bulkeley but neither had the required 50%. In accordance with the rules of the time, the state legislature decided the winner and the largely Republican body chose Bulkeley.[3] Although he did not run in 1890, the vote was so close[2] and fell into such disarray that officials did not certify the results, and the Connecticut Assembly debated the issue over the next two years[citation needed]. This left Bulkeley in office by default, and he became known as the "Crow-Bar Governor"[citation needed]. Bulkeley later served one term in the U.S. Senate from 1905 to 1911. He was also one of the seven members of the Mills Commission formed by Albert Spalding, the group that gave credence to the myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball.[7]
[edit] Death and legacy
Morgan Bulkeley died in Hartford at age 84. The Hartford Bridge over the Connecticut River was renamed the Bulkeley Bridge in his honor after his death.[8] At the time of his death, Bulkeley had been the president of Aetna for 43 years and had increased its assets from $25.7 million to $207 million. He was succeeded by his nephew, Morgan Brainard, who led Aetna for the following 35 years.[4]
Bulkeley's widow, Fannie, died on June 22, 1938.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Fleitz, David L. [January 2004]. "Morgan G. Bulkeley", Ghosts in the Gallery at Cooperstown: Sixteen Forgotten Members of the Hall of Fame. Morgan & Company, pp. 5-17. ISBN 0786417498.
- ^ a b c d e f Norton, Frederick Calvin (1905). The Governors of Connecticut. Connecticut Magazine Co. LCC F93.N88. Retrieved on 2006-12-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i White, David O.; History and Genealogy Unit Staff (March 1999). Morgan Gardner Bulkeley. Connecticut State Library. Retrieved on 2006-12-29.
- ^ a b c Aetna At-A-Glance: Aetna History. Aetna Inc.. Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
- ^ Morgan Bulkeley biography - Baseball Hall of Fame web site. Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
- ^ Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
- ^ The Origins of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
- ^ Bulkeley Bridge, Bridge No. 980A - Connecticut's Historic Masonry Arches. Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
[edit] External links
- baseballhalloffame.org – Hall of Fame biography page Retrieved on 2008-02-14
| Preceded by League established |
National League president 1876 |
Succeeded by William Hulbert |
| Preceded by Phineas C. Lounsbury |
Governor of Connecticut 1889–1893 |
Succeeded by Luzon B. Morris |
| Preceded by Joseph R. Hawley |
United States Senator (Class 1) from Connecticut 1905–1911 Served alongside: Orville H. Platt, Frank B. Brandegee |
Succeeded by George P. McLean |
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