Umpire in a Skirt
A SDSHS Press Publication
Just over one hundred years ago, women did not play baseball, and they certainly did not umpire the games. But one young woman in South Dakota changed all that in the summer of 1904. Quickly becoming a national sensation for her umpiring, she even met a president.
That summer Amanda Clement became the first paid female umpire in the United States. She might have worn a skirt, but players respected her, and fans paid to see her call games. She umpired fairly, never backed down from rude players, and helped to show that girls can do anything that boys can do. This is her story.
Just over one hundred years ago, women did not play baseball, and they certainly did not umpire the games. But one young woman in South Dakota changed all that in the summer of 1904. Quickly becoming a national sensation for her umpiring, she even met a president.
That summer Amanda Clement became the first paid female umpire in the United States. She might have worn a skirt, but players respected her, and fans paid to see her call games. She umpired fairly, never backed down from rude players, and helped to show that girls can do anything that boys can do. This is her story.
