Jackie Robinson, Republican

On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the colour barrier in professional baseball. He went 0 for 3 that day against the Boston Braves.

It didn't matter. The former Negro League star had a stellar MLB career - a .311 batting average, NL MVP in 1949, and led the Dodgers to the 1955 World Series crown (their only one residing in Brooklyn).

Robinson deserves a lot of credit for his intelligence, good play and powerful role in changing baseball.

But here's something many people don't know - or like to ignore - about Robinson: He was a Republican, even during the JFK presidency and civil rights era. You can see some recent articles here and here for confirmation.

Now, to be fair, Robinson was a liberal Republican. He was a strong supporter of Nelson Rockefeller, and a strong opponent of Barry Goldwater. (Take a look at this, taken from his autobiography I Never Had It Made.) Although he passed away in 1972, it's probably fair to say that Robinson would have felt comfortable with Gerald Ford, and probably would have felt uncomfortable with George W. Bush.

Does it make a difference to Robinson's career that he was a Republican? No. He would have been admired whether he was a Republican, Democrat or non-partisan. Still, it's an interesting fact that the man who broke the colour barrier had a very open mind about politics.