Doc Adams

Daniel Lucius Doc Adams was an American baseball player and executive who is regarded by historians as an important figure in the sports early years. For most of his career he was a member of the New York Knickerbockers. He first played for the New York Base Ball Club in 1840 and started his Knickerbockers career five years later, continuing to play for the club into his forties and to take part in intersquad practice games and matches against opposing teams. Researchers have called Adams the creator of the shortstop position, which he used to field short throws from outfielders. In addition to his playing career, Adams manufactured baseballs and oversaw bat production he also occasionally acted as an umpire.

Adams and Cornelia Cook married in 1861, and remained together until Adams death. The couple had five children the first, a son named Charles, died less than a month after his birth in 1864. The others, two sons and two daughters , were born between 1866 and 1874. Adams continued to maintain his medical practice during his baseball career, but was forced to abandon it in 1865 after he began suffering health issues. After relocating to Ridgefield, Connecticut, he went on to become one of the leading citizens of the Connecticut village, according to author William J. Ryczek. Adams served as a Republican legislator in the Connecticut House of Representatives for the town in 1870. He contributed to the creation of the Ridgefield Land Improvement Association, and to a committee overseeing construction of a town house. In 1871, he accepted a job with the Ridgefield Savings Bank as the companys first president. After working there until 1879, Adams took a break from his duties during this t

Source: Wikipedia