Babe Ruth

On February 6, 1895, Kate Schamberger Ruth gave birth to her first child. George Herman Ruth, Jr. was born in the house of his grandparents in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the first of eight children born to Kate and George Herman Ruth. Unfortunately, most of the children died in infancy, and only George, Jr. and his sister Mamie survived to lead a full life. Ruth's father worked as a bartender and ultimately opened his own tavern. He and his wife spent little time with their son because they worked long hours. Contrary to popular belief, young George was not an orphan. For the first seven years of his life he was with his parents, but he survived without guidance on the dirty, crowded streets of the Baltimore riverfront. Young George experienced little, if any, real love from his parents who made no time for their son. Ultimately, they felt that they could no longer care for their son. On June 13, 1902, George Herman Ruth took his seven year-old to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. Not only did he place young George in the school, but he also signed over custody of the boy to the Xaverian Brothers, a Catholic Order of Jesuit Missionaries who ran St. Mary's. St. Mary's was both a reformatory and orphanage that was surrounded by a wall similar to a prison with guards on duty. There were approximately 800 children at St. Mary's. The reformatory had four dormitories that housed about 200 kids each. George, Jr., who by the age of seven had already been involved with mischievous altercations, was classified as incorrigible upon his admission. For a few brief periods he was returned to live with his family, but he was always sent back to St. Mary's, and no one ever came to visit him while he was there. Ruth with one of the Xaverian Brothers at St. Mary's. Ð'© The Babe Ruth Museum Perhaps the one positive thing stemming from his time at St. Mary's was meeting Brother Mathias. Brother Mathias was the main disciplinarian at St. Mary's. He spent a great deal of time with George, Jr., providing the guidance and support that the youngster did not receive from his parents. He even helped young Ruth develop as a baseball player. It is because of his difficult childhood and the positive influence of Brother Mathias that Babe Ruth came to love children. This helps to explain why all of his life he went out of his way to do things for kids, especially those in need. Baseball was a popular and primary form of recreation for the boys at St. Mary's. Young George Ruth, Jr., displayed his potential at a very young age. He played all positions on the field, and was an excellent pitcher. He also possessed a superb ability to hit the ball. By his late teens Ruth had developed into a major league baseball prospect. On February 27, 1914, at the age of nineteen, Ruth was signed to his first professional baseball contract by Jack Dunn, manager of the Baltimore Orioles, at the time a minor league franchise in the International League. Because Ruth's parents had signed over custody of the youngster to St. Mary's he was supposed to remain at the school until the age of twenty-one. To circumvent this, Dunn became Ruth's legal guardian. Jack Dunn was well known for picking up youngsters whom he thought had major league potential. When George Ruth, Jr., appeared with Dunn at the ballpark the other players started cracking jokes, and one of the players quipped, Well, here's Jack's newest Babe. The rest of the players also started referring to young George as Babe and the name stuck. Thus began the storied career of Babe Ruth. Just five months after being signed by the Baltimore Orioles, Babe Ruth was sold to the Boston Red Sox. He made his debut as a major leaguer in Fenway Park on July 11, 1914, pitching against the Cleveland Indians. In the mornings, Ruth would frequent Landers' Coffee Shop in Boston, and it is here that he met Helen Woodford, a seventeen-year-old waitress. They married on October 17, 1914 at St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church in Ellicott City, Maryland. As Babe's career began to blossom and his salary increased, by 1919 he was making $10,000 per year, he and Helen were able to buy a home outside of Boston in Sudbury, Massachusetts. In December of 1919 Babe was sold to the New York Yankees, owned by Colonel Jacob Ruppert and managed by Miller Huggins. Prior to Ruth's arrival in New York, the team had never won a pennant. With The Babe as part of their arsenal they became a dominant force in major league baseball, winning seven pennants and four World Championships from 1920 to 1933. Dorothy, Claire, Babe and Julia leaving for a trip in January of 1931. Ð'© The Babe Ruth Museum In New York, Babe and Helen moved into the Ansonia Hotel on Broadway, which was also the New York home for many celebrities. Unlike her husband, Helen was shy and reserved and did not enjoy the constant notoriety that accompanied Babe wherever he went. As a result, she preferred staying at their rural home outside of Boston, where they had a farm with some 200 acres of land and privacy. In 1921, the couple adopted a baby girl, Dorothy. On January 11, 1929, at the age of 31, Helen died of suffocation in a fire. Dorothy, who was eight at the time, was away at boarding school. Babe met and became seriously interested in a young widow, Claire Hodgson. Claire had come to New York from Georgia with her young daughter Julia in 1920 and worked as a model and actress. On April 17, 1929, the two were married in St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church in New York. This was the day before the Opening Day Game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, and as a wedding present to Claire, Babe hit a home run in his first at bat. In October 1930, Babe formally adopted Claire's daughter Julia,