# Chief Johnson

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**George Howard "Chief" Johnson** (March 20, 1886 – June 11, 1922) was an American professional [baseball](/source/Baseball) [pitcher](/source/Pitcher). He played three seasons in [Major League Baseball](/source/Major_League_Baseball) (MLB), from 1913 to 1915, for the [Cincinnati Reds](/source/Cincinnati_Reds) of the [National League](/source/National_League_(baseball)) and [Kansas City Packers](/source/Kansas_City_Packers) of the [Federal League](/source/Federal_League). He surrendered the first [home run](/source/Home_run) in the history of [Wrigley Field](/source/Wrigley_Field), to [Art Wilson](/source/Art_Wilson) on April 23, 1914.[1]

Johnson was of [Ho-Chunk](/source/Ho-Chunk), [French](/source/French_people) and [Irish](/source/Irish_people) ancestry. He identified as Ho-Chunk and was depicted in the media as a [Native American](/source/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States).[2] A 1913 feature by *[Ripley's Believe It or Not!](/source/Ripley's_Believe_It_or_Not!)* reported his full name as George Washington Murphy Johnson.[3]

Johnson was shot to death in [Des Moines, Iowa](/source/Des_Moines,_Iowa), on June 11, 1922,[4] at the age of 36. He had been in town to host a [medicine show](/source/Medicine_show) and had gotten into an argument during a [dice game](/source/List_of_dice_games). The shooter, despite having confessed to police and being identified by witnesses, was eventually acquitted of first degree murder.[2]

## References

1. Gold, Eddie. ["Wrigley Field Homers"](http://research.sabr.org/journals/wrigley-field-homers). *[SABR](/source/Society_for_American_Baseball_Research)*. Retrieved May 8, 2021.

1. King, C. Richard (January 2005). [*Native Athletes in Sport & Society: A Reader*](https://books.google.com/books?id=2I-1Ttq7zxsC&pg=PA79). U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-2753-8. Retrieved 22 August 2020.

1. ["The Red Man of the Reds"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77315789/the-red-man-of-the-reds/). *[Buffalo Evening News](/source/Buffalo_Evening_News)*. [Ripley's Believe It or Not!](/source/Ripley's_Believe_It_or_Not!). May 26, 1913. p. 10. Retrieved May 8, 2021. – via newspapers.com.

1. ["Trio Held in Iowa Slaying"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/77317016/trio-held-in-iowa-slaying/). *[Iowa City Press-Citizen](/source/Iowa_City_Press-Citizen)*. June 12, 1922. p. 1. Retrieved May 8, 2021. – via newspapers.com.

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