This article is about the American baseball league that operated from 1916 to 1932. For other leagues with the same name, see
Eastern League (disambiguation).
The Eastern League of 1916–1932 was a mid- or higher classification league, beginning in 1916 as a Class B circuit and upgraded to Class A in 1919. Its president,
Tim Murnane, a former sportswriter, and many of its original member clubs were inherited from the New England League, which ceased operation in 1915. While most of its teams were centered in
New England and upstate
New York, in its later years the Eastern League admitted teams from
Pennsylvania and
Virginia. The league consisted of eight teams annually during its existence. The
New Haven franchise, owned and operated by
George Weiss during 1919–1929, won four of the league's 17 championships, although under multiple nicknames. Weiss would go on to a
Baseball Hall of Fame career as a top executive with the
New York Yankees.
This edition of the Eastern League collapsed during the nadir of the
Great Depression on July 17, 1932.