Name: Angelo Bartlett “Bart” Giamatti

Introduction: A. Bartlett Giamatti was an American scholar of English Renaissance literature, an academic administrator, and a prominent figure in professional baseball. He served as the President of Yale University and later became the seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Though his tenure as Commissioner was brief, he is remembered for his deep love of the game and his handling of the Pete Rose betting scandal.

Date of birth: April 4, 1938

Died: September 1, 1989 (aged 51), in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, U.S. (He died suddenly of a heart attack.)

Height: Information not consistently available.

Place of birth: Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. (He grew up in South Hadley, Massachusetts.)

Family:

• Parents’ names: Valentine John Giamatti (father, professor and chairman of the Department of Italian Language and Literature at Mount Holyoke College) and Mary Claybaugh Walton (mother).
• Siblings: Information not widely publicized.
• Spouse: Toni Marilyn Smith (m. 1960; died 2004).
• Children:
  • Paul Giamatti (son, acclaimed actor)
  • Marcus Giamatti (son, actor)
  • Elena Giamatti (daughter, jewelry designer)
• Relatives: His paternal grandparents were Italian immigrants, Angelo Giammattei and Maria Lavorgna.

Profession: Professor, academic administrator, baseball executive.

Nationality: American (of Italian descent)

Religion: He was described by some as an “Easter Christian” or “a profoundly moral, ethical man” who believed in truth-telling and personal responsibility, though he was not a regular churchgoer.

College or university attended:

• Phillips Academy ( Andover)
• Yale College (graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in English in 1960)
• Yale University (received M.A. in English Literature in 1962 and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature in 1968)

Biography and What Famous For:

A. Bartlett Giamatti was born into an academic family and displayed a keen intellect from a young age. He attended Phillips Academy and then Yale University, where he excelled, graduating magna cum laude. He continued his studies at Yale, earning master’s and doctoral degrees in literature, specializing in English Renaissance literature.

He joined the Yale faculty in 1966, becoming a professor of English and comparative literature. Known for his charismatic teaching style and deep understanding of literature, he quickly rose through the academic ranks.

A. Bartlett Giamatti is most famous for two distinct, yet interconnected, aspects of his career:

• President of Yale University (1978–1986): At 40 years old, he became the youngest president in Yale’s history. During his tenure, he was known for his efforts to improve the university’s relationship with the city of New Haven and for his strong defense of liberal arts education. He navigated a bitter strike by clerical and technical workers and emphasized the importance of civic responsibility in education. He also had a notable love for baseball, famously stating in 1978, “The only thing I ever wanted to be president of was the American League.”
• Seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball (1989): Giamatti’s lifelong passion for baseball was well-known, and he wrote several influential essays about the sport, including “The Green Fields of the Mind.” He served as the President of the National League from 1986 to 1989, where he focused on improving the fan experience. In September 1988, he was unanimously elected to succeed Peter Ueberroth as MLB Commissioner, formally taking office on April 1, 1989. His five-month tenure as Commissioner, though tragically short, was highly impactful. He is most famous for his handling of the Pete Rose betting scandal. Giamatti initiated a thorough investigation into allegations that Rose, baseball’s all-time hits leader, had bet on baseball games, including those involving his own team (the Cincinnati Reds). Giamatti’s decisive action led to an agreement with Rose on August 24, 1989, in which Rose voluntarily accepted a permanent ban from baseball to avoid a formal ruling on the gambling allegations. Giamatti famously stated at the press conference, “The game has a right to expect its players, its managers and its coaches to be free from any suspicion that they are playing or managing or coaching for any other motive than winning. That is the contract between baseball and its people.”

Tragically, just eight days after issuing the ruling on Pete Rose, Giamatti suffered a fatal heart attack at his vacation home on Martha’s Vineyard. He is the shortest-tenured Commissioner in MLB history. His legacy in baseball, though brief, is marked by his unwavering commitment to the integrity of the game. The Giamatti Research Center at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is named in his honor.

Have participated:

Academic Career:

• Professor of English Renaissance Literature, Yale University (1966–1978)
• Chairman of the Department of Comparative Literature, Yale University
• Master of Ezra Stiles College, Yale University (1972–1978)
• President of Yale University (1978–1986)

Baseball Executive Career:

• President of the National League (1986–1989)
• Commissioner of Major League Baseball (April 1, 1989 – September 1, 1989)

Notable Books/Writings:

• The Earthly Paradise and the Renaissance Epic (1966)
• Play of Double Senses: Spenser’s Faerie Queene (1975)
• The University and the Public Interest (1981)
• Exile and Change in Renaissance Literature (1984)
• Take Time for Paradise: Americans and their Games (1989)
• A Free and Ordered Space: The Real World of the University (posthumous, 1990)
• A Great and Glorious Game: Baseball Writings of A. Bartlett Giamatti (posthumous, 1998)

Key Achievements:

• Youngest President of Yale University.
• Negotiated the resolution of the Pete Rose betting scandal, resulting in Rose’s permanent ban from baseball.
• Recognized for his intellectual contributions to academia and his passionate defense of baseball’s integrity.
• The Giamatti Research Center at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is named in his honor.

A. Bartlett Giamatti Photos: