Lou Bruce
Outfielder
Born: (1877-01-16)January 16, 1877 St. Regis, New York, U.S.
Died: February 9, 1968(1968-02-09) (aged 91) Ilion, New York, U.S.
Batted: Left Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 22, 1904, for the Philadelphia Athletics
Last MLB appearance
October 10, 1904, for the Philadelphia Athletics
MLB statistics
Batting average	.267
Home runs	0
Runs batted in	8
Teams
Philadelphia Athletics (1904)

Louis R. Bruce (January 16, 1877 – February 9, 1968) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Philadelphia Athletics during the 1904 season.

The son of a Mohawk chief from the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation in upstate New York, he attended Central High School in Philadelphia, where he excelled as a student while playing baseball. Discovered by Ed Barrow, he played for the minor league Toronto Maple Leafs from 1900 to 1903, where he was a two-way player, pitching and playing the outfield and finding success in both roles. He also attended the University of Pennsylvania Dental School during those days, and after retiring as a player, earned a degree in theology from Syracuse University.

He was one of the first Native Americans to reach the major leagues, following Chief Sockalexis, Bill Phyle, his teammate Chief Bender and Ed Pinnance.^[1]

He was a practicing minister for many years and a promoter of education and citizenship for Native Americans. Bruce helped organize the National Congress of American Indians and advocated for the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act. His married a Sioux woman with whom he had a son, Louis R. Bruce, was a politician who served as Commissioner of Indian Affairs.^[2]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Biography from the Society for American Baseball Research
• Penn University Biography
• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)