John K. Tener

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox officeholder John Kinley Tener (July 25, 1863Template:Spaced ndashMay 19, 1946) was an Irish-born American politician and Major League Baseball player and executive. He served as the 25th governor of Pennsylvania from 1911 until 1915.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A Republican, he had previously served as a U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 24th congressional district.

During his baseball career, Tener played as a pitcher and outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association, the Chicago White Stockings of the National League, and the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players' League; after his playing career, he served as President of the National League.<ref name=obit/>

Biography

John Tener was born in 1863 in County Tyrone, Ireland. His parents were George Evans Tener and Susan Wallis. In 1872, Tener's father died, and the family moved the following year to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Tener attended public schools and later worked as a clerk for hardware manufacturer Oliver Iron and Steel Corporation from 1881 to 1885.

In 1885, Tener, who was six-foot-four (1.93 meters),<ref name=deadball>Template:Cite book</ref> decided to try his hand at professional baseball. He joined the Haverhill, Massachusetts, minor league baseball team in the New England League as a pitcher and outfielder and was a teammate of future Hall of Fame players Wilbert Robinson and Tommy McCarthy.<ref name=SABR>Template:Cite web</ref> Later that year, Tener made his Major League debut with the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association, playing in a single game as an outfielder.<ref name=deadball/>

While playing in Haverhill, Tener met his future wife, Harriet Day. They married in October 1889.<ref name=deadball/>

After his brief appearance in Baltimore, Tener continued playing minor league ball, but also returned to the corporate world, working for the Chartiers Valley Gas Company in Pittsburgh and Chambers and McKee Glass Company. In 1888, Cap Anson, the manager of the Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs), noticed him pitching in Pittsburgh and signed Tener to a contract.<ref name=deadball/> Tener was a pitcher and an outfielder for two years in Chicago with moderate success. He notched a 7–5 record with a 2.74 ERA in 1888 and went 15–15 with a 3.64 ERA in 1889.<ref name=deadball/>

After the 1888 season, Tener accompanied the team on a world tour of Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, France, Italy and England. While in England, Tener was chosen to help explain the game of baseball to the Prince of Wales, who would go on to become King Edward VII.<ref name=deadball/>

Tener was elected as Secretary of the Brotherhood of Professional Players, an early players union<ref name=deadball/> and served under President John Montgomery Ward, a future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1890, unhappy with baseball's reserve clause, Tener joined other players in jumping to the Players' League.<ref name=deadball/> Playing for the Pittsburgh Burghers, Tener compiled a poor 3–11 record.<ref name=deadball/> The league folded after one year and Tener decided to retire from professional baseball.<ref name=deadball/>

He entered the banking business in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, in 1891, becoming a cashier at the First National Bank of Charleroi. By 1897, he was the president of the bank. Over the years, Tener became a prominent business leader, founding the Charleroi Savings and Trust Company and the Mercantile Bridge Company.<ref name=deadball/>

Political career

In 1908, Tener, a Republican, was elected to serve in the 61st United States Congress from Pennsylvania's 24th congressional district.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As a former ballplayer, Tener organized the first Congressional Baseball Game which is now an annual tradition on Capitol Hill.<ref name=BaseballGame>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:John Tener Governor.jpg

Governor Tener (center) with Governors John Dix and William Sulzer of New York

Tener planned to run for re-election in 1910. Instead, the Republican Party nominated Tener as its candidate for Governor where he would face a divided electorate.<ref name=PABio>Template:Cite web</ref> Pennsylvania experienced a scandal during the construction of the new Pennsylvania State Capitol. State Treasurer William H. Berry had found that there had been an unappropriated cost for the building's construction of over $7.7 million ($Template:Inflation today),<ref name=Pennypacker>Template:Cite web</ref> including a number of questionable charges. The scandal led to the conviction of the building architect and a former State Treasurer.<ref name=Pennypacker/> Berry failed to get the Democratic nomination and broke away taking independent Republicans and Democrats to form his new Keystone Party.<ref name=Philadelphia>Template:Cite book</ref>

Tener won the election with 415,614 votes (41.7%) over Berry with 382,127 (38.2%)<ref name=PABio/> with the help of a 45,000-vote victory in the City of Philadelphia.<ref name=Philadelphia/> The Democratic candidate, State Senator Webster Grim of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, finished third with 13%.<ref name=Philadelphia/> Governor Tener was the first Governor since the American Revolution to be born outside the United States and only the second in Pennsylvania's history to have been born outside of the state.<ref name=PABio/>

Tener's initiatives as governor included reforming the state public school system and the highway system. With schools, Tener signed into law the School Code of 1911, which established a State Board of Education empowered to set minimum standards and minimum salaries.<ref name=PABio/> The Code also mandated that all children regardless of race or color between the ages of eight and sixteen would be required to attend school.<ref name=PABio/>

The Governor also signed the Sproul Highway Bill into law, which gave the state responsibility over 9,000 public roads that counties and cities had previously maintained.<ref name=PABio/> Rebuffed by the voters for a bond issue to fund the program, Tener signed a bill designating fees from automobile registrations and drivers licenses to be used for road funding.<ref name=PABio/> In 1913, the Governor sign a bill requiring hunting licenses in Pennsylvania, using the fees generated by the licenses to fund conservation programs.<ref name="License">Template:Cite web</ref>

Tener also signed in to action in 1913 a bill that would lead to the creation of the Pennsylvania Historical Commission (PHC), which years later would be merged to form the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC). This would allow funding to be allocated to the preserve and protect the Commonwealths heritage through the Pennsylvania Historic Markers Program and the transfer of historic properties to PHC.<ref>Nichols, Roy F. (1967). The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; a History. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical commission. OCLC 297517

</ref>

Electoral history

Template:Election box begin no change Template:Election box candidate with party link no change Template:Election box candidate no change Template:Election box winning candidate no change |- ! style="background-color:#FFCC00; width: 3px" | | style="width: 130px" | Keystone | William H. Berry | align="right" | 382,127 | align="right" | 38.27 Template:Election box candidate with party link no change Template:Election box candidate with party link no change Template:Election box candidate with party link no change Template:Election box candidate no change Template:Election box total no change Template:Election box hold with party link no swing Template:Election box end

Baseball executive

Tener maintained his interest in baseball after retiring as a player. In 1912, Governor Tener spoke out against gambling in baseball, and informed district attorneys around the state that he believed existing laws could be used against illegal wagering. He also offered the influence and assistance of the state government to support any district attorney who chose to act against wagering.<ref name=Betting>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1913, Philadelphia Phillies owner William Baker proposed offering the position of National League president to Tener after the owners declined to extend the contract of president Thomas Lynch. Tener accepted the offer at a contract of $25,000 ($Template:Inflation today) per year, but was not paid until April 1915 when his term as Governor expired.<ref name=deadball/>

File:Pennsylvania Governor John K. Tener at Ebbets Field (baseball) LCCN2014695754.jpg

Tener throwing out the first ball at Ebbets Field on April 14, 1914

Early in his administration, Tener had his hands full as league president, serving a double role as Governor of Pennsylvania. The Federal League declared itself a major league and began competing for players in 1914. A number of players, including Joe Tinker, began jumping to the new league.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

At the same time, Tener had to mediate a dispute between Chicago Cubs owner Charles Murphy and Cub manager and star player, Johnny Evers. Evers claimed that he had been fired by Murphy after a salary dispute.<ref name=Cubs>Template:Cite book</ref> Murphy claimed in turn that the future hall-of-famer had resigned with the intent of jumping to the new Federal League.<ref name=Cubs/> Murphy later attempted to broker a trade to the Boston Braves in which the Cubs would receive Boston star Bill Sweeney.<ref name=Evers>Template:Cite news</ref> The League originally ruled that Murphy had broken the terms of Evers's contract by not giving him ten days notice before the dismissal and that the punishment would be that Boston did not have to give the players to Chicago.<ref name=Evers/> This led to a protest by Murphy.

At the time, Murphy was not a well-regarded owner by his peers<ref name=Cubs/> and the League was afraid that Evers would go to the Federal League to join his former teammate, Joe Tinker. The dispute gave the owners the opportunity to rid themselves of Murphy. Tener arranged for newspaper publisher Charles P. Taft, who was a minority shareholder and had helped the league to force out Phillies owner Horace Fogel,<ref name=Evers/> to buy the team and force Murphy out.<ref name=Cubs/>

Tener later faced the prospect of players' strikes in 1914 and 1917. In 1914, the Baseball Players Fraternity, led by Dave Fultz threatened to strike over the transfer of Clarence Kraft to the minor leagues from the Brooklyn Robins.<ref name=Barrow>Template:Cite book</ref> Brooklyn had tried to send Kraft to their minor league club in Newark, New Jersey, but the Nashville Vols claimed that they had the rights to Kraft. Going to Nashville would have cost Kraft $150 ($Template:Inflation today) in salary.<ref name=Barrow/> When baseball's National Commission ruled that Kraft had to report to Nashville, he appealed to Fultz for help. Although American League President Ban Johnson sought a confrontation, Tener brokered a deal in which Brooklyn paid for Kraft's rights and sent him to Newark.<ref name=Barrow/>

File:John K. Tener NL President.jpeg

Tener photographed by Charles M. Conlon.

Tener ruled Benny Kauff ineligible to join the New York Giants baseball team in April 1915. Kauff played center field for the Giants on April 29, 1915. Tener said that Kauff, a member of the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League, was a jumper from organized baseball. In order to play for New York of the National League, he needed formal reinstatement.<ref>Giants Sign Kauff, Federal Deserter. April 30, 1915. New York Times. 10.</ref>

In 1917, Fultz, emboldened by his efforts in the Kraft cash presented a list of demands to the National Commission to improve the playing conditions in the minor leagues.<ref name=Barrow/> Tener rejected three of the demands as they were unrelated to Major League Baseball and applied only to minor league players.<ref name=Demands>Template:Cite news</ref> Tener also noted that the fourth demand, that injured players be paid their full salaries, had already been met in the 1917 contract.<ref name=Demands/> Fultz went on to threaten to affiliate with the American Federation of Labor and to lead the players on a walkout if his demands were not met.<ref name=Barrow/>

Even though Tener himself had been a member of the Brotherhood of Professional Players in his playing days<ref name=deadball/> and, as part of the National Commission, had initially certified the Player's Fraternity in 1914, he was not amused by the threats. On the labor side, AFL leader Samuel Gompers did not welcome the idea<ref name=Business>Template:Cite book</ref> and many major leaguers were not interested in striking for the benefit of minor league players.<ref name=Business/> The National Commission, immediately withdrew recognition from the Players' Fraternity.<ref name=Recognition>Template:Cite news</ref> Afterwards, the Players' Fraternity membership declined and the organization ceased to exist.<ref name=Business/>

In November 1917, Tener accepted a one-year contract extension, but was troubled by the infighting between the National League's owners. In 1918, the league became embroiled in a dispute with the American League over the rights to pitcher Scott Perry.<ref name=deadball/> Tener believed that Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack had broken an agreement with both leagues by going to court over the matter.<ref name=deadball/> Tener demanded that the National League break off relations, which could have included cancelling the World Series.<ref name=deadball/> However, the owners did not support him and Tener resigned in August 1918.<ref name=deadball/>

Later life

After leaving baseball, Tener returned to his business interests in Pittsburgh. In 1926, he tried to gain the Republican nomination to run again for Governor but was unsuccessful, finishing third at the convention.<ref name=PABio/> In the 1930s, Tener was elected as a director of the Philadelphia Phillies.<ref name=PABio/>

In 1935, Tener's wife Harriet died.<ref name=PABio/> In 1936, he married Leone Evans<ref name=PABio/> who died in 1937 after an illness.<ref name=deadball/> He engaged in the insurance business until his death, aged 82, in Pittsburgh in 1946.<ref name=obit>Template:Cite news</ref>

He was interred in Homewood Cemetery in Pittsburgh.<ref name=deadball/>

Buildings named in his honor include a residence hall in the East Halls area of the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University and the Charleroi Public Library.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1999, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission installed a historical marker in Charleroi, noting Tener's historic importance.<ref name=phmcdatabase>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Congressional Baseball Game
• List of American sportsperson-politicians
• List of Major League Baseball players from Ireland
• List of United States governors born outside the United States

External links

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• Governor Tener Biography at the Pennsylvania Historical Society
• Template:Find a Grave