John K. Tener
Encyclopedia
John Kinley Tener was a Major League baseball
player and executive and, from 1911 to 1915, served as the 25th Governor of Pennsylvania.
, Ireland to 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 1881–1885.
In 1885, Tener, who was six-foot-four (1.93 meters), 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
. 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.
While playing in Haverhill, Tener met his future wife Harriet. They married in October 1889.
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. 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.
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
.
Tener was elected as Secretary of the Brotherhood of Professional Players, an early players union 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. Playing for the Pittsburgh Burghers
, Tener compiled a poor 3–11 record. The league folded after one year and Tener decided to retire from prefessional baseball.
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.
, was elected to serve in the 61st United States Congress
from Pennsylvania's 24th congressional district
. As a former ballplayer, Tener organized the first Congressional Baseball Game which is now an annual tradition on Capitol Hill
.
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. Pennsylvania had recently 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 $7.7 million ($ today), including a number of questionable charges. The scandal led to the conviction of the building architect and a former State Treasurer. Berry failed to get the Democratic nomination and broke away taking independent Republicans and Democrats to form his new Keystone Party.
Tener won the election with 415,614 votes (41.7%) over Berry with 382,127 (38.2%) with the help of a 45,000-vote victory in the City of Philadelphia. The Democratic candidate, State Senator Webster Grim of Doylestown, Pennsylvania
finished third with 13%. Governor Tener was the first Governor since the American Revolution
to be born outside the United States and only the second to have been born outside of Pennsylvania.
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. 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.
The Governor also signed the Sproul Highway Bill bill into law, which gave the state responsibility over 9,000 public roads that counties and cities had previously maintained. 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. In 1913, the Governor sign a bill requiring hunting licenses in Pennsylvania, using the fees generated by the licenses to fund conservation programs.
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 $25,000 ($ today) per year, but was not paid until April 1915 when his term as Governor expired.
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 began jumping to the new league including Joe Tinker
.
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. Murphy claimed in turn that the future hall-of-famer had resigned with the intent of jumping to the new Federal League. Murphy later attempted to broker a trade to the Boston Braves
in which the Cubs would receive Boston star Bill Sweeney
. The League originally ruled that Murphy had broken the terms of Evers' 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. This led to a protest by Murphy.
At the time, Murphy was not a well-regarded owner by his peers 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
, to buy the team and force Murphy out.
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. 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 $150 ($ today) in salary. 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.
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. Tener rejected three of the demands as they were unrelated to Major League Baseball and only applied to minor league players. Tener also noted that the fourth demand, that injured players be paid their full salaries, had already been met in the 1917 contract. Fultz went on to threaten to affiliate with the American Federation of Labor
and lead the players on a walkout if his demands were not met.
Even though Tener himself had been a member of the Brotherhood of Professional Players in his playing days and, as part of the National Commission, 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 and many major leaguers were not interested in striking for the benefit of minor league players. The National Commission, immediately withdrew recognition from the Players' Fraternity. Afterwards, the Players' Fraternity membership declined and the organization ceased to exist.
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. Tener believed that Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack
had broken an agreement with both leagues by going to court in the matter. Tener demanded that the National League break off relations, which could have included cancelling the World Series
. However, the owners did not support him and Tener resigned in August 1918.
In 1935, Tener's wife Harriet died. In 1936, he married Leone Evans who died in 1937 after an illness. He engaged in the insurance business until his death, aged 82, in Pittsburgh in 1946. He was interred in Homewood Cemetery
in Pittsburgh.
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.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player and executive and, from 1911 to 1915, served as the 25th Governor of Pennsylvania.
Biography
John Tener was born in County TyroneCounty Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, Ireland to 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
Oliver Iron and Steel Corporation
The Oliver Iron and Steel Corporation was a manufacturer of iron and steel hardware including nuts, bolts, screws, and horseshoes in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA....
from 1881–1885.
In 1885, Tener, who was six-foot-four (1.93 meters), decided to try his hand at professional baseball. He joined the Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
minor league baseball team in the New England League
New England League
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played sporadically in five of the six New England states between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification...
as a pitcher and outfielder and was a teammate of future Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
players Wilbert Robinson
Wilbert Robinson
Wilbert Robinson , nicknamed "Uncle Robbie", was an American catcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball...
and Tommy McCarthy
Tommy McCarthy
Thomas Francis Michael "Tommy" McCarthy was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.-Career:...
. Later that year, Tener made his Major League
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
debut with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles (19th century)
The Baltimore Orioles were a 19th-century American Association and National League team from 1882 to 1899. The club, which featured numerous future Hall of Famers, finished in first place three consecutive years and won the Temple Cup championship in 1896 and 1897...
of the American Association
American Association (19th century)
The American Association was a Major League Baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to . During that time, it challenged the National League for dominance of professional baseball...
, playing in a single game as an outfielder.
While playing in Haverhill, Tener met his future wife Harriet. They married in October 1889.
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
Cap Anson
Adrian Constantine Anson , nicknamed "Cap" and "Pop", was a National Association and Major League Baseball first baseman...
, the manager of the Chicago White Stockings
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(now the Chicago Cubs), noticed him pitching in Pittsburgh and signed Tener to a contract. 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.
After the 1888 season, Tener accompanied the team on a world tour of Australia, New Zealand, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, France, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and England. While in England, Tener was chosen to help explain the game of baseball to the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, who would go on to become King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
.
Tener was elected as Secretary of the Brotherhood of Professional Players, an early players union and served under President John Montgomery Ward
John Montgomery Ward
John Montgomery Ward , known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop and manager. Ward was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Renovo, Pennsylvania...
, a future member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1890, unhappy with baseball's reserve clause
Reserve clause
The reserve clause is a term formerly employed in North American professional sports contracts. The reserve clause, contained in all standard player contracts, stated that, upon the contract's expiration the rights to the player were to be retained by the team to which he had been signed...
, Tener joined other players in jumping to the Players' League. Playing for the Pittsburgh Burghers
Pittsburgh Burghers
The Pittsburgh Burghers were a baseball team in the Players' League, a short-lived Major League that existed only for the 1890 season. The team included a number of players who had jumped from the National League's Pittsburgh Alleghenys , including Hall of Famers Pud Galvin, Ned Hanlon, and Jake...
, Tener compiled a poor 3–11 record. The league folded after one year and Tener decided to retire from prefessional baseball.
He entered the banking business in Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Charleroi is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, along the Monongahela River, 25 miles south of Pittsburgh. Charleroi was settled in 1890 and incorporated in 1891. The population in 1900 stood at 5,930; in 1910, 9,615; in 1920, 11,516, and in 1940, 10,784...
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.
Political career
In 1908, Tener, a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, was elected to serve in the 61st United States Congress
61st United States Congress
The Sixty-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1909 to March 4, 1911, during the first two years of...
from Pennsylvania's 24th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 24th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 24th congressional district was one of Pennsylvania's districts of the United States House of Representatives.-History:This district was created in 1833. The district was eliminated in 1983.-List of representatives:-References:*...
. As a former ballplayer, Tener organized the first Congressional Baseball Game which is now an annual tradition on Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Capitol Hill, aside from being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues...
.
Pennsylvania State Capitol
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is in downtown Harrisburg. It was designed in 1902 in a Beaux-Arts style with Renaissance themes throughout...
. State Treasurer William H. Berry
William H. Berry
William H. Berry was a former Treasurer of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. He also was the mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania shortly in 1905, before resigning to run for Treasurer. Berry was born on September 9, 1852 in Edwardsville, Illinois. Berry died on June 19, 1928 in a hospital in Chester.-...
had found that there had been an unappropriated cost for the building's construction of over $7.7 million ($ today), including a number of questionable charges. The scandal led to the conviction of the building architect and a former State Treasurer. Berry failed to get the Democratic nomination and broke away taking independent Republicans and Democrats to form his new Keystone Party.
Tener won the election with 415,614 votes (41.7%) over Berry with 382,127 (38.2%) with the help of a 45,000-vote victory in the City of Philadelphia. The Democratic candidate, State Senator Webster Grim of Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 8,380. The borough is the county seat of Bucks County.- History :...
finished third with 13%. Governor Tener was the first Governor since the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
to be born outside the United States and only the second to have been born outside of Pennsylvania.
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. 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.
The Governor also signed the Sproul Highway Bill bill into law, which gave the state responsibility over 9,000 public roads that counties and cities had previously maintained. 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. In 1913, the Governor sign a bill requiring hunting licenses in Pennsylvania, using the fees generated by the licenses to fund conservation programs.
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 atttoneys 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.In 1913, Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
owner William Baker proposed offering the position of National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
president to Tener after the owners declined to extend the contract of president Thomas Lynch. Tener accepted the offer at a contract of $25,000 ($ today) per year, but was not paid until April 1915 when his term as Governor expired.
Early in his administration, Tener had his hands full as league president, serving a double role as Governor of Pennsylvania. The Federal League
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that operated as a "third major league", in competition with the established National and American Leagues, from to...
declared itself a major league and began competing for players in 1914. A number of players began jumping to the new league including Joe Tinker
Joe Tinker
Joseph Bert Tinker was a Major League Baseball player and manager. He is best known for his years with the Chicago Cubs dynasty which won four pennants between 1906 and 1910; and for his feud with double play partner Johnny Evers. Tinker was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in...
.
At the same time, Tener had to mediate a dispute between Chicago Cubs owner Charles Murphy and Cub manager and star player, Johnny Evers
Johnny Evers
John Joseph Evers was a Major League Baseball player and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1946...
. Evers claimed that he had been fired by Murphy after a salary dispute. Murphy claimed in turn that the future hall-of-famer had resigned with the intent of jumping to the new Federal League. Murphy later attempted to broker a trade to the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in which the Cubs would receive Boston star Bill Sweeney
Bill Sweeney (first baseman)
William Joseph Sweeney was an American first baseman and coach in Major League Baseball and a longtime manager at the minor league level...
. The League originally ruled that Murphy had broken the terms of Evers' 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. This led to a protest by Murphy.
At the time, Murphy was not a well-regarded owner by his peers 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
Horace Fogel
Horace Fogel was a Major League Baseball manager. In 1887, Horace was the manager for the Indianapolis Hoosiers. His record was 20-49. In he was the manager for the New York Giants with a record of 18-23....
, to buy the team and force Murphy out.
Tener later faced the prospect of players' strikes in 1914 and 1917. In 1914, the Baseball Players Fraternity, led by Dave Fultz
Dave Fultz
David Lewis Fultz was a center fielder in Major League Baseball who played in the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles , and for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Highlanders of the American League. He batted and threw right-handed...
threatened to strike over the transfer of Clarence Kraft
Clarence Kraft
Clarence Otto Kraft was a Major League Baseball player. He played in three games for the Boston Braves in , but only appeared once in the field . He went 1-for-3 at the plate with one strikeout....
to the minor leagues from the Brooklyn Robins. Brooklyn had tried to send Kraft to their minor league club in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, but the Nashville Vols
Nashville Vols
The Nashville Vols were a minor league baseball team based in Nashville, Tennessee from 1901 to 1963; the team was inactive in 1962. Known as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers in 1908 for the state's nickname, The...
claimed that they had the rights to Kraft. Going to Nashville would have cost Kraft $150 ($ today) in salary. 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.
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. Tener rejected three of the demands as they were unrelated to Major League Baseball and only applied to minor league players. Tener also noted that the fourth demand, that injured players be paid their full salaries, had already been met in the 1917 contract. Fultz went on to threaten to affiliate with the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
and lead the players on a walkout if his demands were not met.
Even though Tener himself had been a member of the Brotherhood of Professional Players in his playing days and, as part of the National Commission, initially certified the Player's Fraternity in 1914, he was not amused by the threats. On the labor side, AFL leader Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was an English-born American cigar maker who became a labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor , and served as that organization's president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924...
did not welcome the idea and many major leaguers were not interested in striking for the benefit of minor league players. The National Commission, immediately withdrew recognition from the Players' Fraternity. Afterwards, the Players' Fraternity membership declined and the organization ceased to exist.
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. Tener believed that Philadelphia Athletics owner Connie Mack
Connie Mack (baseball)
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. , better known as Connie Mack, was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins , losses , and games managed , with his victory total being almost 1,000 more...
had broken an agreement with both leagues by going to court in the matter. Tener demanded that the National League break off relations, which could have included cancelling the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
. However, the owners did not support him and Tener resigned in August 1918.
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. In the 1930s, Tener was elected as a director of the Philadelphia Phillies.In 1935, Tener's wife Harriet died. In 1936, he married Leone Evans who died in 1937 after an illness. He engaged in the insurance business until his death, aged 82, in Pittsburgh in 1946. He was interred in Homewood Cemetery
Homewood Cemetery
Homewood Cemetery is a historic, nonsectarian burial ground in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in Squirrel Hill and is bordered by both Frick Park and the neighborhood of Point Breeze....
in Pittsburgh.
Buildings named in his honor include a residence hall in the East Halls area of the University Park
University Park, Pennsylvania
University Park, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the location of the flagship campus of the Pennsylvania State University....
campus of the Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
and the Charleroi Public Library.
See also
- List of players from Ireland in Major League Baseball
- United States Congressional Baseball GameUnited States Congressional Baseball GameThe Congressional Baseball Game is an annual baseball game played each summer by members of the United States Congress. The game began as a casual event among colleagues in 1909 and eventually evolved into one of Washington, D.C.'s most anticipated annual pastimes...