Manley, Effa (1900-1981), became the first woman elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Manley was elected in 2006 as part of a group of 17 people who played a significant role in the Negro National Leagues (1920-1931 and 1933-1948) and the Negro American League (1937-1960) and the period before the formation of these leagues. Effa was the daughter of a married woman believed to be of German, Asian, and American Indian heritage. Effa’s mother’s white employer reportedly was her illegitimate father. After being divorced from her black husband, Effa’s mother married another black man, and Effa was raised with black half brothers and sisters. She and her African American husband, Abe Manley, owned the Eagles, a team in the Negro National League, from 1935 to 1948, when the team disbanded.
Manley was born on March 27, 1900, in Philadelphia. She married Abe in 1935. Effa and her husband started the Brooklyn Eagles of the Negro League in 1935 and moved the team to Newark in 1936. Effa was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Eagles. She fought for better schedules, better salaries, and improved travel conditions for players in the league.
The Eagles won the 1946 Negro League World Series. The team featured three players who became stars in major league baseball, pitcher Don Newcombe and outfielders Larry Doby and Monte Irvin. Doby was the first African American to play in the American League.
Effa Manley was active in the civil rights movement. She was treasurer of the Newark chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and frequently used her team’s games to promote civil rights causes. She died on April 16, 1981.
See also Baseball Hall of Fame .
