Seward “See” Posey

Rufus “Sonnyman” Jackson, Seward “See” Posey, and another man gathered around baseball player Luke Easter signing a Homestead Grays contract in an office in 1947. Photograph by Charles “Teenie” Harris, courtesy of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Heinz Family Fund.

It is hard to leave a legacy when overshadowed by a more famous sibling. It’s even harder when that sibling worked in the same field as you. Seward “See” Posey, who worked in baseball his entire life, was the older brother of Cumberland “Cum” Posey, the only person elected to both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. But without See by his side throughout his whole career, Cum probably would not have succeeded as well as he did.

Seward Hayes Posey was born in Munhall, Pennsylvania, on October 3, 1887. He was named after Seward Hayes, “a Pittsburgh-based captain who owned several boats.”1 Cumberland Willis Posey Sr., Seward’s father, worked as a chief engineer for Hayes for 14 years. The senior Posey eventually became a successful businessman himself, owning towboats that delivered coal to the Pittsburgh steel mills. See’s mother, Angelina (Stevens), was a schoolteacher who taught at an all-White school in rural Ohio. His siblings included older sister, Beatrice, and younger brother, Cumberland Jr.

See played both football and baseball during high school. He was the quarterback on the football team and played shortstop and pitcher for the baseball team at Homestead High, located just north of Munhall. Although eligible to play sports at Homestead, he attended classes and received his diploma from the Charles M. Schaub Manual Training School. In May 1905, angered by “chastisement” from his parents, he ran away from home to Richmond, Virginia. He was located at a local baseball field, and it was said “he was putting up a pretty good game when an officer took him out of the game and placed him under arrest.”2

In 1907 See enrolled in medical school at the Western University of Pennsylvania, now known as the University of Pittsburgh. After managing to complete only one year there, he “pursued occupations as varied as foreman in a coal processing plant, low-level white-collar work, and running a billiard room and some restaurants”3 before finally joining his brother Cum in helping run the Homestead Grays.

In 1909 See, along with his brother Cum and some friends, organized the Monticello Athletic Association basketball club. See played the guard position. By early 1912, “the Monticellos could lay plausible claim to the title of black national champions,”4 beating Howard University 24-19. Two years later, the Posey brothers split off from Monticello to form a team sponsored by the Loendi men’s social club. See would soon stop playing basketball but his brother Cum excelled at it. The Loendi club ended up being one of the dominant Black basketball teams in the country during the early 1920s, with Cum being not only the star player, but also managing the team.

While playing stellar basketball, the Posey brothers also played baseball. In 1910, See and Cum played for the Silver Leaf Giants, a team from Lawrenceville, a Pittsburgh neighborhood. They were “the colored ‘Champs’ of Western Pennsylvania for years.”5 Soon after, three Pittsburgh area teams consisting of the Silver Leaf Giants, the Iron City Giants (from the vicinity of Centre and Francis Street) and the Frick Giants (from the Hill district) formed the Clay Giants. By 1914, the Clay Giants merged with the Homestead Grays. From then on, the Grays figured prominently in See’s life.

On September 2, 1911, See married Beatrice Susan Hill, daughter of Lee Hill and Rebecca R. (Waldron) Hubbard, in Licking, Ohio. On July 18, 1912, they had a daughter, Constance Waldron Posey.

In December of 1916, See filed for divorce from Beatrice. He married Louise L. Watson, from Wilkinson, Pennsylvania, on September 17, 1919. The 1920 Census lists See and Louise as proprietors of a pool hall. That marriage did not last long, though, as Louise filed for divorce in August of 1921.

On January 7, 1921, while acting as an official for the Loendi basketball team, See was involved in a stunt that made the team look bad. Loendi was winning by the score of 27-26 with less than a minute and a half remaining in a game against New York’s Spartan Braves. See then “grabbed the watches being used by the official timers and raced onto the floor, announcing that time had run out.”6 Loendi refused to come back onto the floor, claiming time had expired. The Braves, of course, insisted that time was left in the game. The referee finally declared the game a tie.

In 1923 See married for a third time, to Sarah J. Saunders. They soon had a son named Joseph W. Posey.

By the mid-1920s, See’s brother Cum was owner and manager of the Homestead Grays baseball team and needed help running the club. He had gradually worked his way up from booking games for the team as early as 1916, and purchased the club in 1920 with teammate Charley Walker. Cum turned to his brother See to help run the day-to-day operations of the Grays.

See, now officially the business manager of the Grays, “handled the money and served as liaison between the front office and the players. ‘How much do you need?’ he used to ask the individual players- especially at dinner time, ‘and how do you want me to dock it from your next check?’”7 See was also in charge of booking all the games, and drove one of the Buick touring cars that carried the team from town to town.

Although the Negro National League had formed in 1920, the Homestead Grays chose to stay an independent team, reasoning it was more profitable being a barnstorming team. Because they were independent, it also meant that they were free to “poach” players from other Negro League teams. In 1925, the Grays signed future Hall of Famer Smokey Joe Williams and Sam Streeter away from other Negro League teams. This helped make the Grays one of the best Negro Leagues teams at the time.

After the Eastern Colored League, began in 1923, collapsed during the 1928 season, a newly formed American Negro League was established in the spring of 1929. Surprisingly, the Homestead Grays joined as one of six teams in this organization. After years of rejecting league play, and raiding players from league teams, the Grays finally began to play in an established league.

On June 25, 1929, driving from Lewiston, Pennsylvania, to Atlantic City, New Jersey, one of the three Grays touring cars, driven by See Posey, “hit a rut at about 60 miles an hour and spun out of control.”8 The car overturned, injuring all the passengers to some extent. Walter “Rev” Cannady was hurt the worst, having to be hospitalized and not able to play again until mid-July. Other players hurt in the accident included Jasper “Jap” Washington, Stanford Jackson, Joe Williams, Oscar Owens, and Dennis Graham. Luckily, Posey and these other players only experienced minor aches and pains.

Around this same time, another team in the Pittsburgh area caught the attention of the Posey brothers. The Pittsburgh Crawfords started playing amateur baseball in 1926 and slowly separated themselves from other Black sandlot teams in the region. By 1929, Cum befriended Harold “Hooks” Tinker, the manager of the Crawfords. Cum insisted that Tinker take on See as a part-time assistant manager and co-booker, with the reason given that “See would teach him the ins and outs of a professional organization.”9 In reality, “through See’s eyes, Cum could now study the Crawford players up close, as well as their dealings with the White semipro teams Posey also scheduled to play the Grays.”10

Since the Crawfords were an amateur team, admission to their games was technically free by law. During a tournament held in the Hill District of Pittsburgh at Ammon Field in 1930, See closed every gate except one. “Posey required that every fan had to pay a ‘contribution’ [to watch the game.] The Poseys’ influence was such that See stationed two cops at the gate to enforce this brazen way of getting around the law.”11 See managed to collect $2,000 that day for the “amateur” team.

The American Negro League lasted only a single season. By 1930, there was not an organized Negro baseball league in the East. The Grays played as an independent team again. Free to sign any players they wanted, the Grays added future Hall-of-Famers Oscar Charleston and Judy Johnson. They also signed Jake Stephens and George Scales. In late July, they added an 18-year-old catcher by the name of Josh Gibson. Gibson had been playing with the Crawfords, and See was responsible for signing him to the Grays. During a Crawfords game in Ingomar, Pennsylvania, See had Gibson sign a contract and personally drove him to Forbes Field for his first game as a Homestead Gray. Gibson went on to become one of the greatest to ever play the game of baseball.

By 1932, the Great Depression had taken a toll on Negro League baseball. With fewer people able to afford to attend games, the Negro National League ended. Cum Posey decided to form the East-West League and became owner/business manager of the newly formed Detroit Wolves. While Cum still owned the Grays, See was put in charge of overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Homestead team. Unfortunately, the League folded before the end of the season, and the Grays finished out the season as an independent club.

Around this same time, Gus Greenlee became owner of the Pittsburgh Crawfords and soon started to sign away the best players from the Homestead Grays, including Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, and Jake Stephens.

In 1933 Greenlee helped to form the second incarnation of the Negro National League. The Grays joined the league, but left by June and finished the season as an independent team. It was around this time that See left the Grays to go work for Greenlee. Once the Homestead Grays left the Negro National League, a different baseball team was formed in Akron and was overseen by See. This team, named the Grays and managed by Bingo DeMoss, did not last long. Although Cum Posey wished his brother well, he recognized that “the club is financed and owned by Gus Greenlee.”12

Hoping to keep up financially with Gus Greenlee, Cum Posey brought in Rufus “Sonnyman” Jackson to help bring money to the Grays. Jackson made his fortune by running a “numbers game,” an illegal lottery that he ran throughout the Pittsburgh area. In April 1934, the Homestead Grays became the “Homestead Grays Base Ball Club Incorporated.” Although Cum owned 21 percent of the stock, Jackson owned 51 percent, essentially making Jackson the new owner of the Grays. However, Cum still controlled the team and used the money that Jackson brought in to purchase star players again.

In early 1934, See became sick with “a trying period of illness,”13 and was hospitalized for nearly 50 days. He recovered in time to work as booking agent for the Negro National League.

For the 1935 baseball season, Homestead rejoined the Negro National League. See was back working with his brother and the Grays. His duties included “leading the team south for spring training each year, as well as booking nonleague games.”14

That same year, See filed for divorce after his wife had an affair with Robert E. “Pappy” Williams, the deputy constable of the Fifth Ward. The divorce was granted in October 1936, and See wasted no time in marrying Odile Marie Duconge on October 22. Odile, originally from New Orleans, opened the Creole Inn in Homestead, serving gumbo to baseball players and famous music entertainers. Proving that the fourth time is the charm, See’s marriage to Odile lasted until his death.

In August 1936, See was chosen to be the business manager of the Negro League All-Star team that traveled to Colorado to play in the Denver Post Tournament. Dating back to 1915, this prestigious tournament was viewed as the World Series for semipro baseball teams. Integrating in 1934, the team that See brought to Denver two years later was “without question … the best team ever to appear in the Denver Post Tournament.”15 The team boasted five future Hall of Famers in Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, James “Cool Papa” Bell, and Ray Brown. Also on the team were standout players Sam Streeter, Chester Williams, Wild Bill Wright and Vic Harris. Managed by Candy Jim Taylor, this team easily won the tournament.

By 1937, Gus Greenlee was having money problems. He agreed to trade Josh Gibson back to the Grays, a deal that included $2,500 in cash. Teamed with players like Buck Leonard and Ray Dandridge, Gibson helped the Grays begin a dominant 12-year run, finishing first in the Negro National League in 10 of those seasons.

After the Negro National League season ended in October 1938, a Negro League All-Star team consisting of mostly Homestead Grays players went to Cuba for a week to play against the best competition that Cuba had to offer. Winning only two of six games played, the All-Star team went back to Cuba in October of the following year, getting revenge by winning all six games played. See Posey traveled with the team both times, acting as business manager.

Besides helping run the Grays, See had other business ventures. He ran a pool hall in Homestead, located on Sixth Avenue. This street was known for its brothels, taverns, and gambling houses. On March 31, 1945, See was fined $100 for permitting gambling in the rear of his restaurant at 218 Sixth Avenue, Homestead. He pleaded no contest and the judge reversed his decision.16

On March 28, 1946, Cum Posey died. His share of the Grays team was left to his widow, Ethel. The team was then run by just Rufus Jackson and See. As the White major-league teams started integrating in 1947, attendance for Negro League games began to drop; the African American community instead began following the trickle of Black players who were signed by American and National League teams. After the 1948 season ended, the Negro National League disbanded and was merged with the Negro American League. Instead of joining this merger, the Homestead Grays once again became an independent team.

In February 1949, struggling financially, the Grays sold their best player, Luke Easter, to the Cleveland American League team for $5,000. One month later, on March 6, Rufus Jackson died. This left control of the team to his widow, Helen. She then turned over the team operations to See, who had the Grays join the minor-league Negro American Association. After Homestead dominated the other teams and defeated the Richmond Giants for the pennant, the league folded at the end of the season.

The Homestead Grays entered the 1950 season as an independent team once again. Barnstorming was not the lucrative business it once was though, and by July the Pittsburgh Courier was reporting that “the Homestead Grays are in a tight spot. They were unable to play many games during the month because of rain.”17 Struggling to find games that brought in money, the team agreed to a competitive schedule with Negro American League teams, operating on an associate-member basis. At the end of the season, the Grays brought in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Dan Bankhead to lead a 22-game barnstorming tour. Rainouts and cancellations cut the tour to just 10 games. “Small turnouts caused by inclement weather and an overdose of all-star games in the same territory reduced the financial returns to bare expense money.”18

The Grays disbanded on May 22, 1951, due to “the unavailability of outstanding players, lack of support by fans, and the continued inroads on the game by radio and television.”19 On August 9 See Posey was admitted to the Homestead Hospital with a broken back following a fall in his East 13th Avenue residence two weeks before. He seemed to be recovering, but suffered a heart attack and died on August 25. A coronary occlusion, with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and compression of the lower and middle back were listed as contributing causes on his death certificate. He was 63.

See is buried in the Posey family lot at the Homestead Cemetery in Munhall, Pennsylvania, along with his parents, siblings, and extended family members. Spending their whole lives working together, it is fitting that the Posey brothers are buried next to one another.

John L. Clark, a columnist for the Pittsburgh Courier and a good friend of See’s, had this to say about him: “‘See’ Posey was known all over the United States. He was a determined money-getter, and expert card player and uncanny booking agent. But the majority of people who came in contact with him, young and old, remember him as a ‘year-round Santa Claus.’ Nothing was too good and no amount of money too high for people he knew, liked, or were in need. His death removes from household conversation a name which spread good-will all over the United States.”20

Sources

In preparing this biography, the author relied primarily on James E. Overmyer’s book Cum Posey of the Homestead Grays. Also helpful were Newspapers.com, Proquest.com, Seamheads.com, and Ancestry.com.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank fellow SABR member Andy Terrick, who took the time to track down a 1905 copy of the Homestead Daily Messenger. In addition, the author thanks Cassidy Lent, director of the library at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, who provided Cum Posey’s Hall of Fame file.

Notes

1 James E. Overmyer, Cum Posey of the Homestead Grays (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland and Co., Inc., 2020), 10.

2 “Seward Posey in Virginia,” Homestead Daily Messenger, May 23, 1905: 1.

3 Overmyer, 19-20.

4 Overmyer, 31.

5 Cum Posey, “Posey’s Points,” New Pittsburgh Courier, July 10, 1943: 19.

6 Overmyer, 46.

7 “The Brothers Posey Were ‘Big Time’ Magnates: Resented Big League Raids on NNL Clubs,”

New Pittsburgh Courier May 25, 1968: 15.

8 Overmyer, 100.

9 Mark Ribowski, Josh Gibson: The Power and the Darkness (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2004), 39.

10 Ribowski, 39.

11 Ribowski, 39.

12 Cum Posey, “Posey Answers Clark on League and Grays,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 29, 1933: A5.

13 John L. Clark, “Wylie Avenue Pittsburgh,” Pittsburgh Courier, May 5, 1934: 6.

14 Overmyer, 159.

15 Jay Sanford, The Denver Post Tournament: A Chronicle of America’s First Integrated Professional Baseball Event (Cleveland: Society for American Baseball Research, 2003), 56.

16 “Posey ‘Safe on a Close ‘Play,’” New Pittsburgh Courier, March 31, 1945: 4.

17 Earl Johnson, “Sports Whirl,” Pittsburgh Courier, July 1, 1950: 25.

18 “Homestead Grays Drop Fall Tour,” Baltimore Afro-American, November 18, 1950: 17.

19 “Homestead Grays Suspend Operations,” Baltimore Afro-American, June 2, 1951: 18.

20 John L. Clark, “Wylie Avenue,” Pittsburgh Courier September 1, 1951: 20.