Alexander Joy Cartwright Jr. was a founding member of the New York Knickerbockers Base Ball Club in the 1840s. Although he was an inductee of the Baseball Hall of Fame and he was sometimes referred to as a "father of baseball", the importance of his role in the development of the game has been disputed.
Cartwright in 1855
The New York Knickerbockers Baseball Club, circa 1847. Cartwright at the top middle. The identification of Cartwright has been disputed.
Early baseball game played at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey (lithograph by Currier and Ives)
Cartwright's tombstone in Oahu Cemetery, Honolulu
The New York Knickerbockers were one of the first organized baseball teams which played under a set of rules similar to the game today. Founded as the "Knickerbocker Base Ball Club" by Alexander Cartwright in 1845, the team remained active until the early 1870s.
The Knickerbockers (left) posing with their rivals in 1858
Salt print of the 1848–1850 New York Knickerbockers, taken December 1862