Wife of Lou Gehrig and former American baseball first baseman, Henry Lou Gehrig was born on June 19, 1903 in Yorkville, Manhattan, New York.
Of the four siblings, only Gehrig survived beyond his childhood. Her brother and two sisters both died in infancy, from measles and whooping cough, respectively.
From a young age, Gehrig helped his mother with household chores like folding laundry and running errands.
Gehrig grew up speaking German and didn’t learn English until he was five. He shared a house at 2266 Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights with his parents in 1910.
The family lived on 8th Avenue in Manhattan around 1920. Although his name was frequently anglicized to Henry Louis Gehrig, he was called “Lou” to avoid confusion with his father, referenced as Henry, who had the same name.
Career of Lou Gehrig
Gehrig spent 17 seasons (1923-1939) with the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball (MLB). The nickname “Iron Horse” was given to Gehrig because of his durability and hitting prowess.
He is recognized as one of the best baseball players of all time. He was a part of six World Series winning teams, an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice, a Triple Crown winner once, and an All-Star seven times in a row.
He was employed with an on-base average of .44, a batting average of 340 and a slugging average of .632. He had 1,995 runs (RBI) and 493 home runs.
He still leads all Hall of Fame players in both runs scored and RBIs per 100 plate appearances (35.08) and per 100 games (156.7).
He was the first MLB player to have his uniform number ((4)) retired by a team in 1939, the same year he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Gehrig, a student at Columbia University and a native of New York, signed a contract with the Yankees on April 29, 1923.
During his career, he set a number of major league records, including most career Grand Slams (23; since surpassed by Alex Rodriguez) and most consecutive matches played ( 2,130), which lasted 56 years before being surpassed by Cal Ripken Jr.. in 1995.
After his on-field performance was hampered by an unidentified illness that was later determined to be amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”, Gehrig’s consecutive game streak ended on May 2, 1939, shocking both players and fans. ALS is an incurable neuromuscular disease.
He was forced to quit at age 36 due to illness and died two years later. The memorable “Luckiest Man on Earth” speech he delivered at Yankee Stadium in 1939 was the emotional culmination of his farewell to his baseball career.
Gehrig was named the greatest first baseman of all time by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in 1969, and in 1999, fans selected the MLB All-Century team, with Gehrig receiving the most votes.
The Gehrig Monument, which the Yankees first dedicated in 1941, is now located in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.
The MLB player who best exemplifies Gehrig’s integrity and character receives the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award each year.
Who is Lou Gehrig’s wife?
Lou Gehrig was married to Eleanor Gehrig. They were married from 1933 to 1941, the same year he died.