Charles Comiskey – Evanston, IL - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

Charles Comiskey was born in Chicago in 1859 and his name is inextricably associated with that city because of Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox from 1910 till 1990 when the Sox moved to a new stadium. (The new stadium was also named Comiskey Park for a while until U.S. Cellular purchased the naming rights in 2003.)

Comiskey’s entire life was intertwined with baseball. After pitching for St. Mary’s College, he began a professional baseball career, mostly with the St. Louis Brown Stockings of the old American Association. He also had brief stints with the Chicago Pirates of the short-lived Player’s League and the Cincinnati Reds of the NL. For most of his career, Comiskey was both a player and a manager, an arrangement that was much more common back then than it is today.

In 1894, Charles Comiskey transitioned from player to owner when he purchased the Sioux City Cornhuskers of the old Western League. As an owner, Comiskey was instrumental in the formation of the American League and became owner of the new league’s Chicago franchise which he named the White Sox. Comiskey was the owner of the White Sox from their inception in 1901 till his death in 1931.

The stadium that bore his name was opened in 1910 and cost Charles Comiskey $750,000. It had the largest capacity of any baseball stadium at that time. Always appreciative of the fans, Comiskey gave away thousands of tickets to schoolboys every year. He once said of the fans who bought bleacher seats: “The fellow who can pay only 25 cents to see a ball game always will be just as welcome at Comiskey Park as the box seat holder.”

Apparently, Charles Comiskey wasn’t as generous with his players as he was with the fans. Their below-average salaries may have contributed to the infamous “Black Sox” scandal in 1919 which tainted Comiskey’s reputation in later years.

Over a 13-year career, mostly as a first baseman, Comiskey amassed a .264 batting average with 28 homeruns and 883 RBIs. Those aren’t exactly “hall of fame” statistics, but Charles Comiskey was nevertheless inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 1939. His plaque notes his contributions to how the first base position is played as well as his years as White Sox owner and president.

Description: Charles Comiskey (see Long Description above) is laid to rest in Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Evanston, IL. Date of birth: 08/15/1859 Date of death: 10/26/1931 Area of notoriety: Sports Marker Type: Tomb (above ground) Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: 8:00 am - 7:00 pm (Mar 1 - Oct 16); 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (Oct 17 - Feb 28) Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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