William Harridge Signed Baseball Contract w/ Clark Griffith & Edward Butka – COA JSA

Presented is an important and poignant document from the career of Edward Butka. This official “Uniform Player’s Contract” dated March 16, 1945. This contract was fully executed to provide Butka with a compensation package of $3,500. As should be expected, this contract was folded in sixths and, ultimately, it’s in EX condition. Signed, dated by the Washington Senators, it includes the signatures of Butka, league president Will Harridge (signed on April 30, 1945), and Clark Griffith. All the signatures and the handwritten entries in black steel tip fountain pen are “9-10”.

Edward Luke Butka, nicknamed “Babe”, was a Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Washington Senators in 1943 and 1944. Nicknamed “the Old Fox”, Clark Griffith was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, manager and team owner. He began his MLB playing career with the St. Louis Browns (1891), Boston Reds (1891), and Chicago Colts/Orphans (1893–1900). He then served as player-manager for the Chicago White Stockings (1901–1902) and New York Highlanders (1903–1907).

William Harridge was an American executive in professional baseball whose most significant role was as president of the American League (AL) from 1931 to 1959. Harridge, who was formative in creating the Baseball All Star Game in 1933, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1972.

Authentication: JSA Full Letter

William Harridge Signed Baseball Contract