Lewis Meacham

Document Type

Article

Journal Title

Society for American Baseball Research

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

Lewis Henry Meacham’s place in baseball history is linked to that of his friend, Chicagoan William Hulbert (1832–82).  In 1870, Hulbert purchased a share of stock in the city’s newly formed White Stockings organization (a team now known as the Chicago Cubs).  Five years later he was elected president of the Chicago Base Ball Association, and he soon became the principal force behind the 1876 founding of the National League.  Among the persons assisting him in this endeavor was Lewis Meacham, a sports reporter for the Chicago Daily Tribune.

Following a journalism practice that was customary at the time, none of Meacham’s articles included a byline.  Although authorship cannot be proven, baseball historians credit him with the Tribune’s baseball articles, as do contemporary readers. This anonymity undoubtedly contributes to why little is known about Meacham himself. He is generally referred to as Hulbert’s representative and “mouthpiece,” although he was also a well-known journalist and baseball authority in his own right.  6 When he died unexpectedly in 1878 at just age 32, five organizations released laudatory resolutions in his honor.

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There is no date of publication listed on the article.  Verified with author the publication date is 2024.  

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2026 - SABR. All Rights Reserved.

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