Cornelius McGillicuddy (1862 - 1956)

Born 22 Dec 1862 in East Brookfield, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Katherine (Hallahan) McGillicuddy — married 1910 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Descendants

Died 8 Feb 1956 at age 93 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

Cornelius McGillicuddy is Notable.

Cornelius McGillicuddy, better known as "Connie Mack", was an American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner. The longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history, he holds records for wins (3,731), losses (3,948), and games managed (7,755), with his victory total being almost 1,000 more than any other manager.

Connie Mack was born to Michael McGilllicuddy and Mary J. Mckillop. Both parents were immigrants from Ireland, and as with many Irish, their last name was shortened to Mack. Connie never formally changed his name, but was call Mack throughout his life. Connie was one of 8 children, the second son. He was named for his paternal grandfather.

Connie's father worked as a wheelwright. During the American Civil War, he enlisted with the 51st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Michael McGillicuddy suffered from several ailments as the result of his military service; he was able to work only infrequently, after the war and was on a disability pension.

Connie left school after the 4th grade and began working at various jobs to help support the family. As a past time, he played regular games of baseball with the local teams, most often being the catcher. His skill brought him to the attention of scouts and beginning in 1884 started a long career in baseball.

Connie Mack played for several teams during his 10 seasons. He fundamentally changed the way the catcher position was played by positioning himself immediately behind the plate rather than by the back stop. This allowed Mack to catch the ball closer to the batter as well as needle the batter in effort to distract him.

Connie retired as an active player in 1896 after three years as a player/manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He continued in baseball as manager and part owner of the Philadelphia Athletics. He retired in 1950 having won nine pennants and appeared in eight World Series, winning five.

Connie married twice. First to Margaret Hogan who was born in Brookfield, Mass. in October, 1866. Margaret and Connie three children - two sons and a daughter. Margaret died in December, 1892.

Connie remarried in October, 1910 to Katherine Hallahan. (There is some dispute about the exact spelling of both her first and birth name.) Katherine and Connie had five children - one son and four daughters.

Connie died in 1956. The stadium where the Philadelphia teams played was renamed Connie Mack Stadium in 1953.

Mack's grandson Connie Mack III was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida (1983–89) and the United States Senate (1989–2001); and great-grandson Connie Mack IV served in the U.S. House of Representatives (2005–13), representing Florida's 14th congressional district.

Sources

• "Massachusetts Births, 1841-1915", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FXZ9-RH1 : 1 March 2016), Cornelius Mcgillycuddy, 1862.

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDQC-VFF : 17 October 2014), Cornelius Mcgillicuddy in household of Michael Mcgillicuddy, Massachusetts, United States; citing p. 38, family 342, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 552,150.

• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6YG-PNZ : 14 December 2015), Cornelius Mcgillicuddy, Philadelphia Ward 22, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; citing sheet 8B, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,623.

• "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH7L-499 : 8 December 2015), Cornelius Mcgillicuddy, 1930.
• "United States 1950 Census", database, FamilySearch (ark:/61903/1:1:6X17-RJJV : Sun Jan 29 21:13:30 UTC 2023), Entry for Cornelius McGillicuddy and Catherine A McGillicuddy, 10 April 1950.
• "United States Census, 1940", database with images, FamilySearch (ark:/61903/1:1:KQX3-9LW : Mon Apr 03 16:47:03 UTC 2023), Entry for F Riley and James Jones, 1940.

See also:

• Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connie_Mack

• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVJ1-1R7N : 13 December 2015), Connie Mack, 1956; Burial, Cheltenham, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery; citing record ID 658, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com. Direct link: Find A Grave: Memorial #658

• Macht, Norman L. (2007). Connie Mack and the Early Years of Baseball.