1920s Wild Bill Donovan Photo 22×27 George Weiss N.Y. Yankees Personal Photo

Presented for sale is a 1920s-era original 1st generation Wild Bill Donovan 22×27  Photo that hung in the offices of George Martin Weiss who was an American professional baseball executive. Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, Weiss was one of the Major League’s most successful farm system directors and general managers during his 29-year-long tenure with the New York Yankees. The story of this photo and why it hung in the offices of George Weiss throughout his career and stayed with George Weiss until his death as told by his widow Mrs. George Weiss “is back in 1919 George was the owner and general manager of the New Haven, Ct minor league baseball team. Will Bill Donovan was his manager. One night while they were traveling by train in 1923, George gave the lower bunk to Bill Donovan, when during the night the train crashed and Donovan was killed. George Weiss felt so terrible as he survived the crash being on the top bunk, he paid tribute to Wild Bill Donovan by having his portrait hanging behind his desk for the rest of his life. This is a rare and one-of-a-kind item

Wild Bill Donovan was a Major League baseball player for 18 years 1899-1918 with Brooklyn, Detroit Tigers, and New York Yankees.