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Cecil Travis broke into the Major Leagues with the Washington Senators in 1933. The 19-year old third baseman played in 18 games that season and hit .302.

The Senators skipper was Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Cronin. As player/manager in ’33 Cronin hit .309 with 118 RBI and a league-leading 45 doubles. He also guided the club to the American League championship.

Cronin managed Washington in 1934 as well. In his second big league season, Travis played in 109 games and hit .319.

In this letter from 4/20/87 Travis writes, “Yes I started my Major League career under Joe Cronin. He was a good manager, a fine person and really a great baseball player.” Travis then signs his name at the end of the letter.

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When Cecil Travis broke in with the Washington Senators in 1933, the team featured four Hall of Famers. Player/manager Joe Cronin is a Cooperstown man as are outfielders Heinie Manush, Goose Goslin, and Sam Rice.

Manush led the team with a .336 batting average and 115 RBI. The 31-year old also led the American League in hits with 221 and triples with 17.

In this letter Travis writes about his former teammate Manush, “He was a great hitter, one of the best player (sic) I had the privilege to play with while with the Washington Senators.”

Travis’s signature is found at the bottom of the letter.

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Cecil Travis became a big league regular in 1935 with the Senators. That season coincided with Hall of Fame manager Bucky Harris’ return as Washington’s manager.

Harris got his first shot managing in 1924 as the 27-year old “Boy Wonder” pilot of the Senators. He led Washington to its only World Series title in his first year. The following season the Harris’ Senators repeated as AL champs but fell to the Pirates in the World Series. He stayed with the Senators until 1928.

Harris managed the Tigers and the Red Sox from 1929-1934 then returned to Washington in ’35. Under Harris, Travis thrived.

From 1935 until Travis left for World War II after the ’41 season he hit .328 with a .383 on-base percentage. His finest season came in 1941. In a season that Ted Williams hit .406 and Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 straight games, Travis led the league in hits.

In this letter Travis reflects on the Cooperstown skipper Harris. “He was my second manager with the Washington club. He was a very good manager and I enjoyed for him. All he ask of you was give your best always on the playing field.” Travis himself has a case for induction.

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Cecil Travis was one of the best hitting infielders in baseball until he left to fight in World War II. From 1933-1941 he averaged .327. An All Star in three seasons, he topped the .300 mark in 8 of the 9 seasons.

Then the war hit.

Travis missed three full seasons and most of 1945. He was never the same once he returned. Though he played in 15 games in 1945 and all of 1946 and 1947 his numbers tailed off greatly. The war quite likely cost him a chance at Cooperstown.

In the collection is a pair of 3×5 cards. Travis has inscribed the top one, “My greatest thrill in BB — 5 hits in 1st Major League game May 1933”, and “Hall of Fame — I do not believe my 4 yr in WWII cost my a chance.”

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Most baseball fans can recall the terrific seasons of Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio had in 1941. Williams hit .406 while DiMaggio hit in 56 straight games.

So which of the two led the American League in hits that year? Neither.

Cecil Travis’ 218 hits paced the AL in 1941, his last season before losing four years to World War II. His final before the military was his best. He he set career highs in runs, hits, double, triples, homers, RBI, average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and total bases.

In the collection is a 1941 Playball reprint card signed by Travis.

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Largely forgotten today, Cecil Travis hit .327 before losing four years of baseball to WWII. He established himself as one of the star infielders of the American League.

His final season before the war was a great one. He hit .359 with 101 RBI, 316 total bases, and a league-leading 215 hits. His OPS+ was 150.

Then he missed three full seasons from 1942-44, and al but 15 games in ’45.

In the two plus years he played after the war Travis hit only .241. One can only imagine his plaque in Cooperstown had the war not interrupted his outstanding career.

Shown here is another of example of Travis’ signature.

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Cecil Travis returned from World War II and needed time to shake off the rust. After missing 1942, 1943, and 1944, he faced his first at-bat in nearly four years in September 1945.

He went hitless in his first 12 at-bats and finished 13-for-54 in 15 games that season. In 1946, he played 137 games and posted a .251 average, far below his pre-war .327 mark. The 1947 season became his final one, and it was a rough year for both Travis and the team.

By May, Washington sat two games below .500 and continued to fade. By the end of July, the Senators trailed by 20.5 games. The situation worsened.

Starting August 7, Washington lost 14 of 15 games. On August 20, the team hit rock bottom. After losing the first two games in Cleveland, the Senators hoped to split a Sunday doubleheader. Instead, Washington lost both in walk-off fashion, falling 20 games under .500 and 27.5 games behind the Yankees.

Following the doubleheader, the Washington Evening Star criticized the Senators and blamed manager Ossie Bluege. The players and coaches rallied behind Bluege and offered their support.

Above is an affidavit signed by Cecil Travis. Dated August 20, 1947—the day of the Senators’ 11th straight loss—Travis denounces “derogatory and malicious statements” about Bluege.

Travis went 2-for-6 that night and signed the document. He played several more games, finishing with a .225 average before retiring.

Though Travis’ signature is not rare, vintage examples from the 1940s are hard to find.

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Travis was so beloved in Washington that the Senators honored him in his final season. On August 15th, 1947, Griffith Stadium played host to “Cecil Travis Night”. The ceremony was attended by World War II hero and future president Dwight Eisenhower.

Among other things, Travis received a four-door De Soto and a 1,500-pound bull. The infielder’s playing career ended a month later at the conclusion of the year. Starting the next season until 1956, Travis scouted for the Senators.

Shown here is a government postcard signed more than 70 years ago.

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Born and raised in Riverdale, Georgia, Cecil Travis later retired and lived the remainder of his days there. Shown here is the back of the government postcard with a December 11, 1950 postmark from East Point, Georgia, 16 miles from Riverdale.

When he mailed this, Travis was a scout for the Washington Senators, the team for which he played the entirety of his 12-year big league career. His signature on this postcard is more than 70 years old.