Hooks Galvin

February 15th, 2012 | Author: BMcKenna

Hooks Galvin

Harry Galvin

Henry Thomas Galvin

This biography was pieced together after I was contacted by Nora Galvin, the subject’s granddaughter. She provided a great deal of Galvin family information and proved essential as we exchanged numerous emails. She also contributed a great deal to the piece on Bud Galvin, her father.

Henry Thomas Galvin was born in Boston on December 11, 1883. He was called Harry his entire life, actually unaware that his given name was Henry until adulthood when he requested a copy of his birth certificate.

He was the oldest son of Francis Galvin and Ann C. Galvin, nee Quinn. Francis, a teamster, was born in Massachusetts to Ireland natives. Ann was born in New Castle, England. The couple had nine children, one dying young.

Harry dropped out of high school to help support his large, struggling family after his father broke a leg and never finished his education. He had big hands and prominent bow legs which held his height to around 5’8”, weighing around 147 pounds during his professional days.

Winston-Salem Journal 3/30/1911

Teams

1905 Concord (NH), New England League
1906 Lowell, New England League
1907 New Bedford (MA), New England League; Burlington (VT), New Hampshire League; Brockton (MA), New England League; Haverhill (MA), New England League
1908 Fore River (MA), New England League
1909 Norfolk (VA), Virginia League; Fayetteville (NC), Eastern Carolina League
1910 Fayetteville
1911 Winston-Salem (NC), Carolina Association
1912 Winston-Salem; Asheville (NC), Appalachian League
1913 Lawrence (MA), New England League
1915-1922 St. Ambrose (Dorchester, MA)
1925 Dorchester

Baseball

Galvin was primarily a catcher but he did take the mound on occasion. Like many catchers, he had a weak bat, listed with a .193 career batting average in 288 professional games at Baseball-reference.com.

Harry signed with his first professional club in January 1905, Concord of the New England League, at age 21. He played in the league with various clubs through 1908. In 1909, he left the New England area for the first time and joined Norfolk in the Virginia League. It’s unclear what specifically drew him out of his home area.

He played with Norfolk through at least mid-May and then joined the Fayetteville, North Carolina club. With Fayetteville in 1910, he worked the battery with Jim Thorpe. The two kept in touch over the years. The Galvin family treasures a postcard dated 1943 from Thorpe. It’s addressed to “Hooks” which is the only found reference to the nickname. It’s unclear why a catcher was called Hooks.

Richmond Times Dispatch 8/25/1910

Galvin’s manager with Fayetteville was Charles Clancy. In 1911, Clancy took over the Winston-Salem club and took Galvin with him, and several others. Harry was named team captain. On May 18, the catcher was struck on the collar bone in a game, causing it to break. He missed the rest of the season.

Winston-Salem Journal 6/20/1911

He returned with Winston-Salem in 1912, but was released on May 21 and soon joined Asheville. Galvin played with North Carolina clubs until 1913 when he returned home to the New England League. He caught and pitched for Lawrence but missed a good bit of time to injury.

He was reserved by Lawrence for the 1914 season and expected to man the catchers spot, at least part-time, but it seems he never joined the nine.

From 1915 to 1922, Galvin managed and caught for a Dorchester (MA) club, St. Ambrose, representing a local Catholic church. He also caught for Dorchester in 1925, a team managed by Jeff Pfeffer whose 13-year major league career had recently ended.

Personal

Galvin married Mary Catherine Trueman after the 1909 season and settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts. They had three children, two surviving childhood. Their son Henry “Harry” “Bud” Francis Galvin also played pro ball. He is the subject of a forthcoming bio.

Harry Garvin worked as a printer and labored for the Bethlehem Steel shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts (at least from 1918-1920). By 1930, he owned a gas station in Dorchester.

Shipyards like Bethlehem Steel fielded highly-competitive ball clubs during the World War I era. It appears however that Garvin remained loyal to the St. Ambrose club.

Shortly after World War II, the Galvins moved to California. On June 14, 1960, Harry Galvin passed away in Pasadena.

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