Frank Slocum Papers

Collection

Identifier: MSSP_10021

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Content Description

This collection contains professional and personal papers of Frank Slocum, a longtime administrator in major league baseball. A majority of the collection pertains to Slocum's work in the Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball during the 1940s-1960s. These records include correspondence, circular memos, and research developed by the office. Topics covered include the reserve clause and engagement with politicians, the minor leagues, amateur baseball, little league, and other topics about baseball in this era. A smaller portion of the collection includes Slocum's personal papers, including several letters he wrote or received during his service in World War Two and his participation in a real estate venture in Cedar Key, Florida with several other baseball colleagues. Formats mainly include correspondence, printed matter, ephemera, and administrative records.

Dates

Creation: 1942-1989

Creator

Slocum, Frank (Person)
Major League Baseball (Organization). Office of the Commissioner (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Biographical / Historical

Frank Edward Slocum (1925-1997) was a baseball executive and author. The son of New York American sportswriter Bill Slocum, Frank Slocum grew up around baseball. After a tour in the United States Navy during World War Two, Slocum began working in the exexutive office of the National League in 1946. After a short stint as an executive with the Brooklyn Dodgers Slocum moved on to the office of Major League baseball, where he was as an Assistant to Ford Frick, the Commissioner of Baseball from about 1951-1965. In the 1960s, be began a second career in entertainment, writing for television and radio shows. From 1986 until his death, Slocum served as the Executive Director of the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT), an organization that provides financial support for former professional baseball players.