Lou Gehrig & Wife Eleanor After Retiring From Baseball

Lou Gehrig Has Help From Eleanor Gehrig With His New Job

LOU GEHRIG’S WIFE MAY BECOME HIS SECRETARY
Larchmont, N.Y. – Wife and secretary is the double role Mrs. Lou Gehrig (above) might assume Jan. 1, 1940, assumes his position on the New York City Municipal Parole Board. Mrs. Gehrig is shown in their Larchmont N.Y., home, Oct. 11, after Mayor F.H. LaGuardia announced appointment of the New York Yankees former first baseman to the board for a ten-year term. Mrs. Gehrig handles all of Lou’s fan mail and other correspondence. Credit: Acme Oct. 11, 1939

After Lou Gehrig stepped down from playing baseball on May 2, 1939 he stayed with the team for the remainder of the year, never playing a major league game again. But once the season was over Gehrig pondered the future.

The parole board job La Guardia offered paid an annual salary of $5,750, quite a cut from the $35,000 he was earning playing baseball. But the job would provide Gehrig an important role in public service, He eagerly accepted.

La Guardia was confident that with Gehrig’s ability and intelligence he would make an excellent commissioner and be a fine example for young boys. Gehrig was not just a “dumb jock.” Gehrig attended Columbia University but left after his second year in 1923 to play professional baseball.

Despite the rapid progression of the disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig would not sit idle. Gehrig continued in his parole job for a year and a half, reporting to his office as late as April 1941.

It was not until the final three weeks of his life that Gehrig’s health would decline precipitously. He was 25 pounds underweight and could barely speak when on June 2, 1941 Lou Gehrig died at the age of 37.

3 thoughts on “Lou Gehrig & Wife Eleanor After Retiring From Baseball

  1. archie goodwin

    One of the requirements of this position is the Gehrigs had to relocate to NYC, as municipal employees at the time were required to. They moved to the northern Bronx.

    Reply
  2. Kevin

    Thank you for publishing this. While not a sports fan, I wondered what happened to Gehrig after his retirement — it almost looked like the last time anybody saw him alive was his farewell speech. It’s interesting that people with ALS today can live longer with it, although I wonder if Gehrig’s shorter life was more of a blessing.

    Reply

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