George Barr (umpire)

Founded and Operated the first Umpire School (1935 -1967)

George McKinley Barr (July 19, 1892 – July 26, 1974) was a professional baseball umpire who was a pioneer in Umpiring Instruction. Barr worked in the National League from 1931 to 1949. Barr umpired 2,757 major league games in his 19-year career. He umpired in four World Series (1937, 1942, 1948, 1949) and two All-Star Games (1937 and 1944). Barr was founder of the George Barr Umpire School, the earliest umpire training school and author of the first book on umpiring. Barr was a pioneer in using the inside chest protector.

Barr was born in Scammon, Kansas, on July 19, 1892. When he arrived in Tulsa as a young man in 1915, he is said to have had only ten cents to his name. While working as a stadium usher in 1923, Barr got his first opportunity to umpire when one of the arbiters was a no-show for a game. He was hired to the Western Association for the following year.

After two seasons in the Western Association (1924–25), Barr moved to the Texas League in 1926 and stayed for several seasons. In August 1931, Barr was promoted to the Major Leagues. In 1933, he was Ernie Quigley's partner when Quigley sustained an electric shock while dressing after the game and was left unconscious; Quigley recovered without incident. Barr Umpired in the 1937 and 1944 All-Star Games and the 1937, 1942, 1948 and 1949 World Series. The 1937 All-Star Game was one in which pitcher Dizzy Dean sustained a toe injury that negatively affected the rest of his career.