William Eckert
| William Eckert | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
William Dole Eckert January 20, 1909 Freeport, Illinois |
| Died | April 16, 1971 (aged 62) the Bahamas |
| Title | Commissioner of Baseball |
| Term | 1965–1968 |
| Predecessor | Ford Frick |
| Successor | Bowie Kuhn |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Air Corps United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1930–1961 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant General
|
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal |
William Dole "Spike" Eckert (January 20, 1909 – April 16, 1971) was a lieutenant general in the United States Air Force, and later the fourth Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1965 to 1968.
William Eckert was born on January 20, 1909 in Freeport, Illinois. Eckert, who grew up in Madison, Indiana, graduated from the United States Military Academy in June 1930. It was there that Eckert earned the nickname "Spike" while playing football. He then attended the Air Corps Flying Schools at Brooks and Kelly Fields in San Antonio, Texas, graduating in October 1931.
In 1938, he was selected as one of two officers for advanced education at the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration and graduated with a master's degree in June 1940.
In 1957, at the age of 48, Eckert was commissioned lieutenant general, making him the youngest three-star officer in the United States Armed Forces. When he retired, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
Just before becoming the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Eckert worked as a management consultant to the aviation industry. During this period, he served on the boards of directors of several corporations.
More than 150 names appeared on the original list of nominees for the commissionership following Ford Frick's retirement. The club owners initially were unable to decide if the next commissioner should come from the ranks of the game (e.g., the president of the American or National Leagues), or elsewhere. They finally decided that the new commissioner should have a strong business background to deal with the problems that were confronting the game at the time.
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