France Laux

James Francis "France" Laux Jr. (December 3, 1897 – November 16, 1978) was an American sportscaster, notable as the first full-time radio voice of Major League Baseball in St. Louis.

Biography

Early life Laux was born in Guthrie, Oklahoma, the son of a local judge, J. Francis Laux Sr., and his wife. The nickname "France" came from schoolmates. Heavily involved in sports, Laux won 16 letters in baseball, basketball, and football in Oklahoma City and Bristow schools before entering Oklahoma City College. In addition to broadcasting live sporting events, Laux had his own daily 15-minute program on KMOX in the late 1930s. In the 1940s he wrote the Hyde Park Sports Letter, a four-page publication that highlighted national and St. Louis sports.

Laux was the voice of both the Cardinals and Browns until 1942. He broadcast solely for the Cardinals in 1943. After only one season, he stepped down, but returned in 1948 as the voice of the Browns. He went into semi-retirement after that season, but called weekend games until the end of the 1953 season, the Browns' last in St. Louis. In the late 1950s he and Jack Buck hosted a program called Batting Practice, which served as a pre-game show for telecasts of Cardinals road games on KTVI-TV.

Career at CBS and Mutual His popularity soon gained Laux notice with CBS, which had bought KMOX shortly after the start of the 1929 season. He called the World Series for CBS from 1933 to 1938, and the first eight All-Star Games from 1933 to 1941, the last three of those for Mutual. He turned down offers to broadcast for the Yankees and Giants in New York, preferring to stay in St. Louis, where he had a huge following. He won the first Sporting News Announcer of the Year Award in 1937.

Later life After 1953, Laux turned his attention to a bowling house he bought in St. Louis after the war. He also served as secretary of the American Bowling Congress for many years.

Family On December 3, 1928, Laux married Pearl Genevieve Boyer (1900–1976), a professional singer. Laux had two sons with Boyer, France Albert Laux (1929–2012) and Roger Harry Laux (1930–1981). His remains are interred, with those of his wife Pearl, in Calvary Cemetery, Edwardsville, Illinois.