Al Johnson (baseball executive)

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Al Johnson
Albert Loftin Johnson.png
Johnson, from The Brooklyn Times of July 3, 1901
Born(1860-12-24)December 24, 1860
Kentucky[a]
DiedJuly 2, 1901(1901-07-02) (aged 40)
Brooklyn, New York
Occupation

Albert Loftin Johnson (December 24, 1860 – July 2, 1901) was an American business executive in the streetcar industry. A baseball enthusiast, he was a key figure in the short-lived Players' League of 1890, while owning the Cleveland franchise in that league. He also briefly owned the Cincinnati Reds of the National League.

Biography[]

Johnson's father, ex-Confederate States Army colonel Albert W. Johnson, moved north after the war and became a streetcar magnate, with operations in Indianapolis, Cleveland and New York City.[4] The younger Johnson learned the business and, with the wealth gained, largely bankrolled the Players' League.[4] He also owned the Cleveland Infants franchise in the new league.[4] The 1890 Infants finished with a record of 55–75, seventh place in the eight-team Players' League.[5]

Johnson purchased the Cincinnati Reds during the 1890–91 off-season, intending to move the team from the National League to the Players' League.[4] However, in the aftermath of the league's first season, a year in which all baseball owners lost money, the new league folded.[4] Johnson then sold the Reds to John T. Brush.[4][6]

Johnson died at his home in Brooklyn in July 1901, of a heart attack.[4] Newspaper reports of his death differed as to if he was married or not.[1][2] His brother Tom was a prominent progressive politician, serving in the United States House of Representatives and as Mayor of Cleveland.[4]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Newspaper reports of his death gave Johnson's place of birth as Kentucky.[1][2] His entry in the 1880 census lists him as being born in Arkansas.[3]
  2. ^ Johnson owned the Reds between the 1890 and 1891 National League seasons.

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Albert L. Johnson, the Trolley Magnate, Dead". The Brooklyn Times. July 3, 1901. p. 3. Retrieved September 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Albert L Johnson Dies Suddenly". Pittsburgh Daily Post. July 3, 1901. p. 3. Retrieved September 15, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "1880 United States Federal Census for Albert Johnson". United States Census Bureau. June 16, 1880. Retrieved September 15, 2020 – via fold3.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Lewis, Ethan M. (2007). "The Wildest Kind of Crank: The Story of Players' League Magnate Al Johnson". Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  5. ^ "The 1890 Season". Retrosheet. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "Cincinnati Commercial Gazette". October 6, 1890.

External links[]

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