Alex Pompez

Alex Pompez
Owner
Born:(1890-05-03)May 3, 1890 Key West, Florida,U.S.
Died:March 14, 1974(1974-03-14)(aged 83) New York City,U.S.
Teams
New York Cubans(1916–1950)
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2006
Election method	Committee on African-American Baseball

Alejandro "Alex" Pompez(May 3, 1890 – March 14, 1974) was an American executive inNegro league baseballwho owned theCuban Stars (East)andNew York Cubansfranchises from 1916 to 1950. His family had emigrated from Cuba, where his father was a lawyer. Outside baseball and numbers (illegal gambling), he owned and operated a cigar shop in downtown Manhattan. He later served as a scout and director of international scouting for theGiantsfranchise inMajor League Baseball.He was posthumously inducted into theBaseball Hall of Famein 2006.

Biography

Pompez was born on May 3, 1890, inKey West, Florida,the oldest of four children born toCubanimmigrants Jose and Loretta Pompez. His father was a lawyer and cigar manufacturer who had connections to Cuban author and dissidentJose Marti.Jose Pompez was on the board of directors for the Key West chapter of theCuban Revolutionary Party;he was elected to theFlorida House of Representativesas a Republican in 1892.He was a state representative until his death until 1897. Alex and his family struggled financially after his father willed his estate to the insurgency.

Alex Pompez owned theCuban Starsof theEastern Colored Leaguebetween 1923 and 1928 and theNew York Cubansof theNegro National Leaguefrom 1935 to 1951. He also helped organize the firstNegro League World Seriesin1924.He signed numerousLatin Americanplayers for his Negro league teams, includingMartín Dihigo,Minnie MiñosoandAlejandro Oms.

Several owners in theNegro National League,including Pompez, werenumbers bankers.Pompez was one of New York's leading numbers bankers during the 1920s but was forced to joinDutch Schultzin 1932. His connections with Schultz's organization led to hisindictmentin 1936 for involvement in policy rackets when New York County District AttorneyThomas Deweyselected him as one of the targets in a crackdown on New York City racketeering. Pompez fled to Mexico after being tipped off to his arrest; he was eventually arrested by Mexican authorities, but Mexican officials refused to extradite him. Pompez decided to return to the U.S. as a state witness in the investigation. He is considered the only man who survived after turning informant against another racketeer.

In 1948, sensing that baseball's integration would change the Negro leagues, Pompez arranged for the New York Cubans to become a minor league affiliate of theNew York Giants.Pompez scouted Latin America for the Giants, and they signed several players through Pompez, includingCamilo Pascual,Tony OlivaandOrlando Cepeda.In 1950, Pompez submitted a favorable scouting report to the Giants onFidel Castro.He was hired by the New York Giants to oversee their Latin American operations in 1950.

Pompez served on theBaseball Hall of Fame's special Committee on Negro League Baseball in the early 1970s. He died at age 83 in New York City. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in2006.

Pompez died in 1974 and is buried atWoodlawn Cemeteryinthe Bronx,New York City.

See also

• List of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame

References

• Burgos, Adrian, Jr. (2011).Cuban Star: How One Negro-League Owner Changed the Face of Baseball.Hill & Wang.
• Riley, James A. (1994).The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues.New York: Carroll & Graf.ISBN978-0-7867-0065-3.

External links

• Alex Pompezat theBaseball Hall of Fame