Deacon White (December 7, 1847 - July 7, 1939) was an American professional baseball player in the National Association throughout its 5-year existence, and later for 15 seasons in the National League and Players League of Major League Baseball. His brother Will was a major league pitcher, and briefly his teammate. Born in Caton, New York, Deacon White's pro career began in 1868, at a time when no team was entirely composed of professional players. He was a catcher and third baseman, playing through 1890, whose long career allowed him to play with many of the legendary characters of 19th century professional baseball. White played on the great National Association Boston Red Stockings teams of the early 1870s. He also played with Cap Anson and Al Spalding in Chicago, King Kelly in Cincinnati, Dan Brouthers in Buffalo, Ned Hanlon and Sam Thompson in Detroit, as well as Jake Beckley and Pud Galvin in Pittsburgh. White led his respective league in batting average twice, and runs batted in three times. He started out early enough to have played against the undefeated Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869, baseball's first all-professional team. He was considered the best barehanded catcher of his time, as well as one of the best third baseman during the second half of his career. To top it all off, in the rough-and-tumble 19th-century baseball era, Deacon really was a nonsmoking, Bible-toting, church-going deacon.
He died in Aurora, Illinois at the age of 91.
