Peter Alfonsus Harrison (February 1, 1885 – March 10, 1921) was an English-American professional

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 ...

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 ...

. He worked in 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 ...

from 1916 to 1920. He was an active NL umpire at the time of his premature death.

Biography

Early life and career

Harrison was born in England and his family moved to

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

, when he was a child. Harrison took up umpiring as a young adult, spending 1911 to 1915 in minor league baseball. His minor league experience included the

Ohio–Pennsylvania League The Ohio–Pennsylvania League (1905–1912) was a Class C (baseball), Class C and Class D (baseball), Class D level minor league baseball league that featured franchises based in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The league was founded b ...

New York State League The New York State League was an independent baseball league that played six seasons between 2007 and 2012 in New York State and the New York City metro area. Over 500 NYSL players have been signed by professional teams. Players from forty-eigh ...

and

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

National League career

Although an Ohio newspaper reported in 1914 that Harrison would undoubtedly join the National League by the end of that season, the umpire actually made his major league debut in 1916. A June 1916 ''New York Sun'' article described a game in which fans hurled pop bottles and seat cushions at the new major league umpire: "A nervy fellow this Harrison. He stood with arms folded facing center field and never once winced, though it looked as if one missile nicked his leg." In response to the incident, Harrison said, "What do I think of the Philadelphia fans? Well, this was the first time I ever saw them work, and judging by their form last Tuesday I should say that their control is bad. I wasn't hit once, although I heard that four spectators were struck by bottles. Harrison umpired 642 major league games in five National League seasons. On October 2, 1920, Harrison and

Hank O'Day Henry M. O'Day (July 8, 1859 – July 2, 1935), nicknamed "The Reverend", was an American right-handed pitcher and later an umpire and manager in Major League Baseball. After a seven-year major league playing career, he worked as a National ...

umpired the last major league tripleheader. Harrison worked behind the plate for all three games. He worked his final major league game the following day.Retrosheet
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Personal life

During the baseball offseason, Harrison worked in a Youngstown steel mill. He was a member of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

Death

Harrison died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

on March 10, 1921, in

Saranac Lake, New York Saranac Lake is a village in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,887, making it the largest community by population in the Adirondack Park.U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Saranac Lake village, New ...

. He had been brought there in grave condition a few weeks earlier. His case was said to be complicated by bouts with influenza and appendicitis that he had suffered in the previous year. He was survived by his mother, wife, daughter and four siblings. After his death,

Rabbit Maranville Walter James Vincent "Rabbit" Maranville (November 11, 1891 – January 6, 1954) was an American professional baseball shortstop, second baseman and Manager (baseball), manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Braves (base ...

said, "Every ball player in the National League will miss Pete Harrison. He's the kind of umpire we need. You could relieve your feelings on Pete, but if you got too fresh he was there to set you down. I was always strong for that boy, and I am deeply grieved over his death."

References