Baseball and Suffrage: a Portrait of Toledo circa 1911

Baseball season is back! It may not seem like baseball and women’s suffrage have much in common, but Toledo Central High School class novelist Edwin J. Tippett Jr. (1892-1971) brought them together in his clever proposal that was published in the 1911 school yearbook, The Almanac. Tippett’s story returns us to the nostalgic setting of a noisy, packed baseball game played at Toledo’s own Swayne Field.

Tippett’s story, Votes for Women, describes the players’ heroic efforts, hilarious reactions of spectators determined to converse using only Shakespearean phrases, the fair and unbiased calls of the famed educator Ada M. Ritchie (1856-1927), and the magnanimous final decision of Toledo’s esteemed mayor, Brand Whitlock (1869-1934).

The author: Edwin J. Tippett, Jr.

Edwin was born in 1892 in Toledo, Ohio. His photo was taken from the pages of The Almanac, which also includes a brief biographical sketch and motto, claiming: “He hath more business in a day than some men in a lifetime.” His life was indeed both a literary life and one of much service. Before his retirement in 1964, he had worked as the longtime editor and publisher of the Toledo American Legion Press and president of the Toledo Printing Company, that had been founded by his father. He served in World War I, and as a veteran was a former commander of the Lucas County American Legion, had membership at the Baker-Stengel Post, American Legion honorary society, and was past president of the American Legion Press Association. His 1971 obituary as published in The Blade listed additional memberships as a 32nd Degree Mason in the Scottish Rite, the Small Business Association, the Chamber of Commerce, and Sigma Delta Chi, the national professional journalism society.

The umpire: Ada M. Ritchie

It is fitting that Edwin chose Miss Ritchie as the game’s umpire. Born in 1856 in Grafton, Ohio, she was both the daughter and sister of judges. At the time of her death in 1927 she had spent more than 50 years as an educator in Toledo. By then she was known as the “Grand Old Lady of Scott High School,” but the beginning of her career was made evident in 1873 when she filled in for a sick teacher three months prior to her graduation from Toledo Central High School. She taught most if not all of Toledo’s prominent late 19th and early 20th century business people. Full page photos of her, like the one included, grace most of the school’s The Almanac yearbooks, where she was known for her toughness, fairness, and heart of gold. When Scott High School opened in 1913, she became a member of their faculty and is credited with developing their extensive library.

The players:

The mayor: Brand Whitlock

Although Edwin didn’t name Brand Whitlock (1869-1934) specifically in his story, his inclusion fits perfectly with who our 33rd or 34th (depending on how you count them) 1911 mayor was. Although this 1909 postcard gives a hint of whether Mayor Whitlock may or may not have endorsed women’s suffrage, you still need to read the story at the link below to fully comprehend the outcome of the game!

After the previous overview, please enjoy this whimsical story remembering that it portrays the sensitivities of people living in an era quite different from our own.

All of the images shown in this blog (with the exception of the teams’ pictorial rosters) are available on OhioMemory, the Library’s collection of images that is still continually growing!