Henry Lucas

Henry Van Noye Lucas (September 5, 1857 – November 15, 1910) was a baseball executive in the late 19th century, president of the Union Association during its one season, and owner of the St. Louis Maroons for three seasons (1884–1886).

Biography Lucas was born on September 5, 1857, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was the twelfth and youngest child of James H. Lucas and Marie Emilie (Desruisseaux) Lucas. When his father died in 1873, Henry Lucas inherited $2 million of his $9 million estate.

With the support of other St. Louis investors, in November 1883, Lucas filed papers to incorporate the St. Louis Athletic Association, giving birth to the St. Louis Maroons. The Hoosiers folded following the 1889 season.

Of Lucas, it was noted that "during the next few years he turned up at a ballpark or otherwise hinted that he might like to return to the game", but he had to settle instead for employment as a railway clerk with the Vandalia Railroad.

Personal life Lucas' paternal grandfather was the French-born John Baptiste Charles Lucas, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. His father was James Hunt Lucas, a wealthy businessman and politician.

Lucas married Louise ("Lizzie") Espenschied in 1880. They had one child, Henry V. Lucas Jr., who was born on February 1, 1881.

Lucas died in 1910 in his home city, of blood poisoning from an ankle injury originally suffered years earlier. Lucas was employed as a street department inspector at the time of his death.