Walter Johnson's Forays into Politics / Black Baseball in Norbeck
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Authors
Hickman, Bill
Mangin, Julianne
Issue Date
2023-04
Relation
Vol. 66;No. 1
Language
en_US
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Abstract
Walter Johnson is well known as the Hall of Fame pitcher who played for the Washington Senators, and he is also remembered as a Montgomery County farmer, raising horses and cattle on his farm estate in Germantown. But there was another aspect of his life that has received scant attention: he spent the final eight years of his life in politics. In 1938, he ran successfully for the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and held the seat for two consecutive terms. In 1940, he attempted to gain a seat in the U. S. House of Representatives from Maryland. He ran always as a Republican candidate and continued that close party affiliation when he became involved in two presidential elections on behalf of Republican nominees. From 1938 until his death in 1946, Walter Johnson became Montgomery County's "reluctant politician."
The Black community in Norbeck, Maryland boasted one of the best ball fields in Montgomery County. In its heyday, the field at Norbeck featured lights for night games and a grandstand. It was also the home diamond for the Sandy Spring Stars, considered the best amateur team in the region, and a popular venue for competition between county sandlot teams, semiprofessional teams, and occasionally, teams from the Negro National League. The ball field, called Page's Park and later Bailey's Park, was used into the 1950s and bore witness to the resilience and talent that defined generations of baseball-playing African Americans.
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Publisher
Montgomery History