Edith G. Houghton collection, 1925-1972, November 17, 2004
Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- Houghton, Edith, 1912-2013
- Sinco, Holly
- Extent:
- 1 folders 1 folder
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Edith G. Houghton collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. https://purl.lib.fsu.edu/fa/02-04-0292
Background
- Scope and content:
This collection relates to storekeeper first class Edith Houghton who served in the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) and was a baseball player. This collection contains an interview transcript of Houghton and newspaper clippings related to her baseball tour in Japan in the 1920s.
- Biographical / historical:
Storekeeper First Class Edith G. Houghton was born on February 10th, 1912. She was the first, and at her death remained the only, female full-time Major League Baseball (MLB) scout. Raised in Philadelphia as part of a large family, her athletic talent was recognized early and at 10 was drawing praise as a shortstop for the Philadelphia Bobbies, a team in the Bloomer Girls League. Edith toured Japan with the team in 1925, later played for the Hollywood Girls and the New York Bloomer Girls, finished high school. During World War II, Houghton joined the Navy WAVES. Trained as a Storekeeper (SK), she played baseball on Navy teams then after the conflict remained in the Navy Reserve while working in a Philadelphia hardware store. One day in 1945 she walked into the office of Philadelphia Phillies' president Robert Carpenter's and announced that she wanted to scout for the team. Impressed with her knowledge of the game, he hired her as the first solo female MLB scout. Remaining with the Phillies thru 1951, Houghton signed 16 players, though none reached the Majors. She was recalled to active duty in 1951, she stayed in the Navy until her 1968 retirement as a Chief Storekeeper (SKC). She passed away on February 2, 2013 at the age of 100. She is buried at Northwood Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Source: www.findagrave.com/memorial/105305659/edith-grace-houghton
- Custodial history:
Transferred from the Institute on World War II and the Human Experience to FSU Libraries Special Collections & Archives in July 2022.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
- Subjects:
- World War, 1939-1945
Baseball.
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives
World War, 1939-1945--Women
Naval stores
World War, 1939-1945--United States
Softball
World War, 1939-1945 -- Europe -- End - Names:
- United States. Naval Reserve. Women's Reserve
United States. Navy Department. Bureau of Supplies and Accounts
Houghton, Edith, 1912-2013 - Places:
- Japan
Bloomington (Ind.)
New York (City)
Jacksonville (Fla.)
United States -- Armed Forces -- Women's reserves
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Saint Albans (New York, N.Y.)
Bradenton (Fla.)
Access and use
- Restrictions:
This collection is open to all researchers.
- Terms of access:
Houghton's oral history is In Copyright - FSU. For permission to re-use its content beyond Fair Use, contact Special Collections & Archives staff at lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu.
Copyright restrictions may apply to other works in this collection. Re-use or copying beyond Fair Use may require permission from rights-holders. Please contact lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu for more information.
- Preferred citation:
[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [Box and Folder number], Edith G. Houghton collection, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. https://purl.lib.fsu.edu/fa/02-04-0292
- Location of this collection:
-
116 Honors WayTallahasseeFL32306-2047USA
