Newt Halliday
| Date and Place of Birth: | June 18, 1896 Chicago, IL |
| Date and Place of Death: | April 6, 1918 Great Lakes, IL |
| Baseball Experience: | Major League |
| Position: | First Base |
| Rank: | Unknown |
| Military Unit: | US Navy |
| Area Served: | United States |
Newton S. "Newt" Halliday was not a household name nor a player of
any particular fame. His is a story of, what if? In 1916, at the age of
20 he made his debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates at first base in the
second game of a double header. He struck out in his only at bat. The
Pirates lost the game, 1-0, after winning the first, 2-1.
Halliday would not have a second chance at the majors for forces out
side of baseball would intervene. Halliday joined the United States Navy
after the United States entered World War I. After being billeted at
Camp Farragut, he moved on to the Great Lakes Naval Station in September
of 1917. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line of his training he
contracted tuberculosis. With the help of Navy doctors, Halliday fought
gamely to prevent his demise. Well enough to be granted leave, he
visited his family one last time in late March of 1918, staying at his
parents house which was located at 440 Keokuk Avenue in Chicago.
After a few days he headed back to the Naval Station where his condition
went rapidly downhill. Confined to the base hospital, he came down with
pneumonia and started suffering hemorrhages. His body worn out, he
passed away on Saturday, April 6, 1918. The official cause of his
death was Tuberculosis and Acute Pneumonia.
Halliday’s body was brought back to his family in Chicago where he was
buried at the St. Joseph Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois on April 9.
Thanks to Frank Russo for contributing Newt's biography. Frank's The Deadball Era website contains a host of information on the passing of former professional baseball players. Newt Halliday's biography appears in Frank's book Bury My Heart at Cooperstown.
Date Added January 29, 2012
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