William Wallace "W. W." McCredie (April 27, 1862 – May 10, 1935) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Early years

Born in

Montrose, Pennsylvania Montrose is a borough in and the county seat of Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The land is elevated approximately above sea level. History Montrose was laid out in 1812 in an area of Pennsylvania historically associated wi ...

, McCredie moved to

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

with his parents, who settled on a farm near

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

in Delaware County. He attended the

common schools A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary ...

, going on to graduate from

Cornell College Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally the Iowa Conference Seminary (Methodist), the school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell Co ...

in 1885. He taught school at

Parkersburg, Iowa Parkersburg is a city in Butler County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,015 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 1,870 in the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Parkersburg, although not the county seat, ...

from 1885 to 1889. He attended the

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

of the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

in 1889 and 1890, then moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

in 1890 and completed the study of law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

the same year and commenced practice in

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver ( ) is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, located in Clark County, Washington, Clark County. Founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1857, Vancouver had a population of 190, ...

. During his early legal career, he served as prosecuting attorney of

Clark County, Washington Clark County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 503,311, making it Washington's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Vancouver. It was the first ...

from 1894 to 1896 and served as judge of the

superior court In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...

from 1904 to 1909.

Baseball affiliation

In 1904, McCredie became part owner of the minor league

Portland Beavers The Portland Beavers was the name of separate minor league baseball teams, which represented Portland, Oregon, in the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The team was established in 1903, the first year of the PCL. Franchise history Many baseball teams h ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

club and hired his nephew

Walt McCredie Walter Henry McCredie (November 9, 1876 – July 29, 1934) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager. McCredie played for the Brooklyn Superbas of the National League and managed in the minor leagues for 18 seasons, mostly for ...

as the team's player-manager. At the time, the

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

club was part of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

which was considered a high level minor league that frequently sent players to major league teams. McCredie was an active owner who helped with the organization and administration of the league in its early years. After the 1906 earthquake that devastated much of the league, McCredie used his own resources to maintain the operation of other clubs. McCredie also invested heavily in his own team and was the first owner to build grandstand seating for the team's fans.Andresen, Paul and Carlson, Kip (2004) ''"The Portland Beavers".'' San Francisco: Arcadia Publishing, page 14.

Member of Congress and return to baseball

McCredie was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-first Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Francis W. Cushman and served from November 2, 1909, to March 3, 1911. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910 to the Sixty-second Congress. He resumed his interest in the Portland club of the

, serving as president until 1921, when he retired. He continued the practice of law in Portland until his death in that city on May 10, 1935. He was interred in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCredie, William Wallace 1862 births 1935 deaths American people of Scottish descent Cornell College alumni University of Iowa College of Law alumni Washington (state) state court judges Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Washington (state) People from Delaware County, Iowa People from Montrose, Pennsylvania People from Parkersburg, Iowa Politicians from Vancouver, Washington 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Early years

Baseball affiliation

Member of Congress and return to baseball

See also

References

Sources