James Gronninger

James Davis Gronninger (January 15, 1880 – January 30, 1944) was an American attorney, baseball player, manager, and league president.

Groninger from 1908 Reach Guide

Early years

Gronninger was born at Lucasville, Ohio, in January 1880.[1][2] His parents John and Rachel Gronninger were both Ohio natives.[3] At the time of the 1900 United States Census, Gronninger was working as a laborer in a rolling mill in Ohio.[3]

West Virginia University

Gronninger played college baseball at West Virginia University starting no later than 1903.[4][5] He was the captain of West Virginia's 1906 team.[6] He was a multi-sport athlete at West Virginia and also served as captain of the West Virginia Mountaineers basketball team.[7]

Baseball coach and executive

Gronninger received his law degree (Bachelor of Laws) from West Virginia in June 1906.[8][9] He remained in Morgantown, West Virginia, as the coach of the school's baseball team.[6] He also served as the manager of the Uniontown Coal Barons in 1906, leading them to a Pennsylvania–Ohio–Maryland League championship.[10] He served as the president of the Class-D Pennsylvania–West Virginia League in 1908 and 1909.[11][12][13]

After retiring from baseball, Gronninger became a lawyer. In 1917, he was the chief clerk in the office of West Virginia Secretary of State.[14] By September 1918, he was the Assistant Secretary of State of West Virginia.[2] In 1921, he had the second highest salary ($2,750) in the Secretary of State's Office behind the Secretary of State.[15] In 1923, he was in charge of enforcing West Virginia's securities laws and prosecuting stock fraud.[16] Gronninger in his later years was a lawyer with a general practice at Charleston, West Virginia.[17] He died at Huntington, West Virginia, in January 1944 at age 63.[18]

References
  1. Draft registration card dated April 27, 1942, for James Davis Gronninger, resident of Charleston, West Virginia, born January 15, 1880 at Lucasville, Ohio.
  2. Draft registration card dated September 30, 1918, for James Davis Gronninger, resident of Morgantown, West Virginia, born January 15, 1880, employed as Assistant Secretary of State of West Virginia. Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Registration Location: Monongalia County, West Virginia; Roll: 1992863; Draft Board: 0.
  3. Census entry for John Gronninger and family. James D. Gronninger is identified as a son, born January 1880 in Ohio, employed as a "Laborer Rolling Mill." Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Census Place: Portsmouth Ward 2, Scioto, Ohio; Roll: T623_1319; Page: 21A; Enumeration District: 123.
  4. "Manhattan 20; U. of W. Va. 0" (PDF). The New York Times. May 13, 1903.
  5. "Mountaineers Hard At Work: Preparations for West Virginia's Baseball Campaign Go Merrily On". The Pittsburgh Press. February 11, 1906.
  6. William E. Akin (2006). West Virginia Baseball: A History, 1865-2000. McFarland. p. 63. ISBN 0-7864-2570-9.
  7. The Rainbow of the Delta Tau Delta, Volume 28. 1905. p. 243.
  8. "The University Commencement". The West Virginia School Journal, Volume 35. August 1906. p. 33.
  9. Alumni record: West Virginia University. West Virginia University. 1917. p. 25.
  10. BR Minors
  11. la84foundation.org
  12. The Reach American League Guide. 1908. p. 371.
  13. "The Penn-West Virginia: The Initial Season Ended With the Uniontown Team as the Pennant-Winner -- The Complete Record of the Race" (PDF). Sporting Life. September 19, 1908. p. 25.
  14. West Virginia Blue Book. State of West Virginia. 1917. p. xiv.
  15. Annual report, audit of the finances of the State of West Virginia, Volume 7. West Virginia. Office of the Tax Commissioner. 1921. p. 70.
  16. Marvin Murphy (December 30, 1923). "West Virginians Pay Millions Yearly For Worthless Stock: Before Enactment Of "Blue-Sky" Law State Was Rich Field For Unscrupulous Promoters, Official Of Auditor's Department Says". The Sun, Baltimore, Md.
  17. Census entry for James D. Gronninger, age 50, born in Ohio. Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Census Place: Charleston, Kanawha, West Virginia; Roll: 2537; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 48; Image: 1012.0.
  18. Death record for James D. Gronninger, lawyer, age 63 years, 15 days. Ancestry.com. West Virginia, Deaths Index, 1853-1973 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
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