John Ward Marquee Hall of Fame 1964

He came to Providence at 18 as a pitcher and won 47 games in 1879, more than anyone else in the majors that year, striking out 239 to lead as well. Then his arm gave out. He moved to shortstop, played through 1894, and finished with 164 wins and 2,107 hits. Nobody else in the archive has both 2,000 hits and 100 wins.

He took a law degree at Columbia while he was still playing, and he used it. In 1885 he organized the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players, the first union in the sport, and argued in print that the reserve clause turned a player into his club's property. The owners would not negotiate on it.

So the Brotherhood built a league of its own. The Players' League lasted the single season of 1890, and the Brooklyn club in it was named for him. It collapsed, he returned to the National League for four more years, then practiced law in New York and represented players against clubs. The veterans committee elected him in 1964.