Edward W. Dowling (January 17, 1867 – March 24, 1944), better known as Robert Joseph Glenalvin, was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

second baseman In baseball and softball, second baseman, abbreviated 2B, is a fielding position in the Infielder, infield, between Baseball field#Second base, second and Baseball field#First base, first base. The second baseman often possesses quick hands and f ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

. He played for the

Chicago Colts The following is a franchise history of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball, a charter member of the National League who started play in the National Association of Base Ball Players in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings, before joining t ...

of the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

in the and seasons. His professional career in

Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

spanned from the 1887 to 1899 seasons, where he served as the

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

for several minor league teams. Glenalvin was also an

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French , , and , : (as evidenced in cricke ...

in the minor leagues from the 1909 through 1914 seasons.

Early life

Edward W. Dowling was born in 1867 in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

, His father, William W. Dowling, was a minister. Dowling had three sisters and a brother. The family moved to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, in 1877.

Playing career

Dowling's parents objected to him playing professional baseball, and only consented to it if he used an assumed name. Under the name Bob Glenalvin, he began his

career with the Lincoln Tree Planters of the Western League in 1887. He struggled and left the team in May. He caught on with teams representing Oskaloosa and Webster City in the

Iowa State League The Iowa State League was a minor league baseball league that played from 1904 to 1907 and again in 1912. The Class D (baseball), Class D level league had franchises based in Illinois and Iowa. The Ottumwa Snappers franchise won league championship ...

, before the league collapsed. He finished the 1887 season with Wichita in the Western League and then signed with

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

of the

Central Interstate League The Central Interstate League was an independent minor league baseball league that operated from 1888 to 1890. William H. Allen (1888), Henderson Ridgely (1889), E.T. McNeally (1890) and Fitzpatrick (1890) served as the league presidents. The 1 ...

for the 1888 season. Glenalvin played for Colorado Springs in the Colorado State League and Grand Island of the Illinois–Indiana League in 1889 and began the 1890 season as the

for the Wheeling National Citys of the

Tri-State League The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball. History The first league of that name played for four years (1887–1890) and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. The second league ...

During the 1890 season, the

of the

signed Glenalvin to be their second baseman. Their previous second baseman,

Fred Pfeffer Nathaniel Frederick Pfeffer (March 17, 1860 – April 10, 1932), nicknamed "Dandelion" and "Fritz", was an American baseball player. He was a second baseman in Major League Baseball between 1882 and 1897. His final game took place on June 14, 18 ...

, had signed with the

Chicago Pirates The Chicago Pirates were a baseball team in the Players' League for a single season in . The team played their home games at South Side Park (II). Their rivals were the National League Chicago Colts, which later became the Chicago Cubs. The Pir ...

of the

Players' League The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League (PL), was a short-lived but star-studded American professional baseball league of the 19th century. The PL was formed by the Brotherhood of Pr ...

for the 1890 season. Glenalvin played 66 games for Chicago, compiling a .268

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

. Pfeffer returned to the Colts after the Players' League folded following the 1890 season, and Glenalvin secured his release from Chicago to become the player-manager of the Portland Webfeet of the

Pacific Northwest League The Pacific Northwest League was a professional Minor League Baseball league based in the Pacific Northwest. It was the first professional baseball league ever in the region. History Founding The Pacific Northwest League was founded in 1890. In ...

in 1891. Portland won the league's championship and agreed to face the San Jose team, champions of the

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leagu ...

, in a best-of-19 game series, which lasted from November 1891 to January 1892. In the 19th game, Glenalvin pulled his team off of the field in protest of a call made by the

. San Jose was declared the winner in a forfeit. In 1892, Glenalvin was named manager and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

of the

. He began the 1893 season in the same roles. The Colts signed Glenalvin in August 1893. He played in 16 games for the Colts late in the 1893 season, and batted .344. The Colts sold Glenalvin to the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

of the Western League before the 1894 season to be their second baseman, captain, and manager for $600 ($ in current dollar terms). After the 1894 season, Glenalvin accused team owner George Vanderbeck of exceeding the league's salary limits and of not paying him the additional $812 that he was promised on top of his permitted salary. Glenalvin brought this discrepancy to the league's attention in 1895, and they ruled in favor of Glenalvin, ordering Vanderbeck to pay him by March 1 or forfeit the franchise. Glenalvin signed on as the player-manager for Terre Haute in May 1895. In 1896, Glenalvin partnered with Robert Leadley to re-establish the Pacific Northwest League as the New Pacific League. Glenalvin captained, managed, and played second base for the Portland Gladiators. The league collapsed at midseason and Glenalvin became the manager of the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

of the Western League for the remainder of the season. After the 1896 season, Glenalvin and Leadley bought the Grand Rapids Gold Bugs of the Western League, and he played the 1897 season as their captain, manager, and second baseman. In 1898, Glenalvin played for the

St. Paul Saints The St. Paul Saints are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and have played their home games at CHS Field since 2015. They previ ...

of the Western League, and led the league in

sacrifice hit In baseball, a sacrifice bunt (also called a sacrifice hit) is a batter's act of deliberately bunting the ball, before there are two outs, in a manner that allows a baserunner to advance to another base. The batter is almost always put out, a ...

s. He considered retiring, but returned to St. Paul for the 1899 season. His mother, who was ill at the time, made him promise that he would retire from baseball.

Later career

In 1902, Glenalvin accepted a position as an editor for the Christian Board of Publication, which produced religious papers. His father served as the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

. He also wrote short stories for a

Sunday school ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

publication called "Our Young People". In 1907, Glenalvin was reported to be working in the

lumber industry The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry – when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. fu ...

Redding, California Redding is a city in and the county seat of Shasta County, California, and the economic and cultural capital of the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California. Redding lies along the Sacramento River, north of Sacramento, California, Sacrame ...

. Glenalvin returned to baseball as an

in the Western League in 1909. He signed on to umpire in the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

for the 1910 season. Glenalvin umpired in the

Central League The or , also known as the for sponsorship reasons, is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League i ...

in 1911, but was dismissed in May due to complaints from managers. In June, he began to umpire in the

Central Association The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. The Central Association began play in 1908, evolving from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association played continuously through 1917 before folding. The league reforme ...

, but was not brought back to start the season in 1912. The Central Association brought Glenalvin back in May 1912 In 1913, the league president again hired new umpires for the start of the season, and hired Glenalvin to return to umpiring in the Central Association in June 1913. The Central Association re-signed Glenalvin before the 1914 season, but he did not return for the 1915 season.

Personal life

Glenalvin married Jessie (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Laing) in February 1892. His real name became a part of the public record when he filed for his marriage license. Glenalvin resided in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

in his later life. He died at

Henry Ford Hospital Henry Ford Hospital (HFH) is an 877-bed tertiary care hospital, education and research complex at the western edge of the New Center, Detroit, New Center area in Detroit, Michigan. The flagship facility for the Henry Ford Health System, it wa ...

after having a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on March 24, 1944.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glenalvin, Bob 19th-century baseball players 19th-century American sportsmen Chicago Colts players Detroit Tigers managers Portland Gladiators players 1867 births 1944 deaths Baseball players from Indianapolis Lincoln Tree Planters players Wheeling National Citys players Wheeling Nailers (baseball) players Los Angeles Seraphs players Los Angeles Angels (minor league) managers Los Angeles Angels (minor league) players Detroit Creams players Terre Haute Hottentots players Grand Rapids Gold Bugs players Indianapolis Hoosiers (minor league) players Indianapolis Indians players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Milwaukee Creams players Grand Rapids Bob-o-links players St. Paul Saints (Western League) players St. Paul Apostles players