Newt Halliday

Twenty-year-old Newton Halliday’s only major-league game came on August 19, 1916. He replaced injured star Honus Wagner and struck out in his only career at-bat for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Halliday, however, is better known for, less than two years later, being the first and youngest big-league baseball player to die while enlisted in military service during the United States’ involvement in the Great War.1

Newton Schurz Halliday was born on June 18, 1896, in Chicago, Illinois, one of five children of Newton Reece Halliday, a railroad passenger agent, and Augusta V. “Jennie” (née Bruines) Halliday. Jennie died in 1906. By 1910, son Newt was a resident (listed as an inmate) of the State School for Boys. In early 1914, he played first base for the Lillies of Chicago team in a loss against Des Plaines. He also manned first base for the Cullom Athletic Club of the Irving Park community area.2 Halliday continued to play in the Chicago sandlots through 1915.

In the spring of 1916, Halliday attended the training camp of the Owensboro (Kentucky) Distillers of the Class D Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee (KITTY) League, the third incarnation of said league. Early reports indicated that “Holliday (sic), who is a first baseman from Chicago, has all the earmarks of a coming ball player. He has height, is fast and a good hitter.”3 Another writeup described Halliday as “not only a natural first baseman, but he gives every indication of being a reliable hitter. This big bird covers the bag like he was born there.”4 He earned the Opening Day first baseman job for Owensboro, which consisted mainly of amateurs in their first professional engagement.5 Scout Harry Doyle identified Halliday as one of the best first base prospects he had seen in “many moons.”6 “Hally,” also at times listed as Jack Halliday, was considered the “most valuable man on the Owensboro payroll.”7 Halliday, “Roberts” (actually Harry McCluskey), and Clarksville’s Ben Shaw were considered the KITTY’s best prospects.

Even the legendary Connie Mack gave Halliday a once-over during a July 1916 recruiting swing through Kentucky, commenting that the Owensboro recruit “handles himself like a finished first baseman” and telling the Owensboro club president that “he was sure that Roberts (McCluskey) and Halliday will soon be in higher company.”8 Halliday hit .249 (60-for-242) in the final KITTY League averages.9 The Pittsburgh Pirates ended up buying Halliday from Owensboro10 after the league went defunct in early August. Although labeled “green as a gourd,” he left for Pittsburgh to wait for the Pirates to return from their road trip.

Upon his arrival, Halliday, “the young first baseman purchased from the Owensboro, Ky., club of the now defunct Kitty League, worked out with the Pirates before yesterday’s game. He is a six-footer and built proportionately (per Baseball-Reference, he stood 6-feet-1 and weighed 175 pounds). He handled himself nicely around the bag and moved about speedily. He will be given a further trial this week by Manager (Jimmy) Callahan.”11 Honus Wagner, arguably the greatest National League player ever, had a lacerated thumb, which had sidelined him for nearly two weeks.

“Hans” returned to the lineup on August 19 at home at Forbes Field against the Brooklyn Robins in a doubleheader. In the bottom of the fifth inning of the nightcap, the 42-year-old Wagner doubled, but came up lame with a charley horse and was tagged out between second and third base. The Pittsburgh Daily Post tells the story from there:

“Wagner attempted to return to his position on the infield at the start of the sixth. (Joe) Schultz had batted for (Doc) Johnston and it was announced that (Bill) Hinchman would play first base and Schultz would go into right. When Hans found it impossible for him to resume play another announcement was necessary. (Alex) McCarthy moved over to short, Schultz went upon second, Hinchman was ordered to stay in his usual position, and Newton Halliday, the recruit from the Owensboro club of the Kitty League, guarded the initial sack. The youngster put up a clever fielding game.”12 The Post further reported that Halliday “made quite an impression last Saturday when he was tried out at first base and he will be given other opportunities to show his wares before the season ends.”13

Halliday’s only plate appearance came in the bottom of the eighth inning of what turned out to be a 1-0 Pirates loss and thus a split of the doubleheader. Facing future Hall of Famer Rube Marquard, he struck out.14

Halliday didn’t accompany the Pirates on their mid-September road trip, instead staying in town with fellow rookies, expecting that he would see time against Cincinnati at the end of the season.15 But that never transpired.

In January 1917, Pittsburgh optioned Halliday and Jimmy Viox to the Kansas City Blues of the American Association.16 The Kansas City Post’s report introduced Halliday as “another comer that (John) Ganzel expects great things of. He is a big feller, with the padded mitt protecting his left hand, while he swings his lumber from the left side. Halliday is a mere youngster, who looks like he has the makings of a great ball player. He is a good fielder and knows how to shift around the first stop. At the bat, he swings straight from the shoulder and takes a beaut of a cut at the pill. The big fellow has been troubled with tonsilitis for the past week, and was just about ready to give up the fight and go home when the inflamed member quit bothering him.”17

Not meeting the Blues’ expectations, in early April Halliday was sent further down the Pirates’ minor-league pecking order to the Muskegon (Michigan) Muskies (formerly Reds) of the Class B Central League. That completed a deal involving Arch Reilly going to Pittsburgh. The report during Muskegon’s camp in Newport, Kentucky, regarding Halliday was that “he looks only fair and that Manager (Jimmy) Hamilton is on the search for a player to take his place.”18 Returned to sender, Halliday was released by Pittsburgh; however, Muskegon, needing players after all, soon reemployed him. Halliday actually hit .481 (13-for-27) in his first eight games with the Muskies.19 But he jumped Muskegon on May 16 and was suspended. It was reported that Halliday would sign with South Bend of the Central League,20 but he never arrived. He was thus placed on the 1918 player restricted list, according to his Sporting News player card.

Halliday was also the subject of a National Commission decision handed down in late September. Pittsburgh ended up owing Muskegon $200 more from the transaction back in April.21 By this time, Halliday had enlisted at the Great Lakes (Illinois) Naval Training Station and was billeted at Camp Farragut in October. He was also going to be counted on for an infield job with the station ball team.22

Halliday was granted a short-term leave to visit his parents in Chicago, then he returned to Great Lakes. Soon thereafter, he was hospitalized with tuberculosis and acute pneumonia.23 The 21-year-old died at the Great Lakes Naval Hospital on April 6, 1918,24 exactly one year to the day after the United States entered World War I. His service record from the National Personnel Records Center listed Halliday as dying “in the line of duty.”25 He was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois and survived by his parents, as well as sisters Grace, Elsie, and Ruth and brother Louis.26

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Bill Lamb and Rory Costello and fact-checked by Ray Danner.

Sources

In addition to the sources shown in the notes, the author used Baseball-Reference.com, StatsCrew.com, and MyHeritage.com.

Notes

1 See Lindsey Berra, “MLB Stars Who Earned Their Stripes,” MLB.com, May 29, 2016. Accessed March 27, 2025. https://www.mlb.com/news/baseball-players-who-died-in-war-c180898342.

2 “Boulevards Beat Culloms,” Chicago Tribune, September 13, 1914: 20.

3 “Recruits Put in Very Busy Session,” Owensboro (Kentucky) Messenger, May 10, 1916: 7.

4 “Owensboro Fans See a Regular Ball Team,” Owensboro (Kentucky) Inquirer, May 15, 1916: 6.

5 “Harry Wetzel to Lead Team,” Owensboro Messenger, April 22, 1916: 3.

6 “Owensboro Start Attract Connie Mack,” Owensboro Inquirer, July 23, 1916: 6.

7 “Kitty Kolyum,” Owensboro Inquirer, July 23, 1916: 6.

8 “Connie Now Known as Colonel Mack,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 30, 1916: 6.

9 “Final Batting Averages of Kitty League,” Owensboro Messenger, August 6, 1916: 7.

10 “Halliday Gets a Chance with Dreyfuss Club,” Owensboro Inquirer, August 6, 1916: 6; “Pirates Want Halliday,” Evansville (Indiana) Courier, August 9, 1916: 7; “‘Halley’ Leaves for Pittsburg,” Owensboro Inquirer, August 9, 1916: 6.

11 “Little Bits of Baseball,” Pittsburgh Press, August 13, 1916: S2.

12 Ed. F. Balinger, “Superbas Divide Bargain Bill,” Pittsburgh Daily Post, August 20, 1916: 16.

13 Ed. F. Balinger, “Quakers Scheduled for Double Clash with Buccaneers,” Pittsburgh Daily Post, August 21, 1916: 8.

14 Ralph S. Davis, “Buccaneers Win and Lose,” Pittsburgh Press, August 20, 1916: 21.

15 “Newton Halliday Still with Pittsburg Pirates,” Owensboro Messenger, September 17, 1916: 7.

16 “Blues Sign New Players,” Wichita Eagle, January 12, 1917: 7; “Newton Halliday to Play First for Kansas City,” Owensboro Messenger, January 14, 1917: 9.

17 Jack Hellman, “Blues’ Training Is Not Satisfactory,” Kansas City Post, March 24, 1917: 5.

18 “Halliday Reports,” Springfield (Illinois) Daily News, April 26, 1917: 8.

19 “Official Figures Show Halliday Leading Central League Batters,” Evansville (Indiana) Journal, May 20, 1917: 7.

20 “In the Press with Phelan,” South Bend (Indiana) News-Times, June 8, 1917: 10.

21 “Muskegon on Right Side of This Decision,” Dayton (Ohio) Evening Record, October 5, 1917: 29.

22 “Well Known Diamond Star Succumbs Here,” Great Lakes (Illinois) Bulletin, April 9, 1918: 4.

23 Newton Halliday death certificate.

24 “Chicago Jackie Dies at Great Lakes Station,” Chicago Tribune, April 8, 1918: 12.

25 From Halliday’s Baseball Hall of Fame player file.

26 “Death Notice: Halliday,” Chicago Tribune, April 8, 1918: 15.