Lefty Williams

Birth Name:

Claude Preston Williams

Birth Date:

March 9, 1893

Birth Place:

Aurora, Missouri

Death Date:

November 4, 1959

Place of Death:

31316 Monterey Street, South Laguna Beach, California

Age:

Cause of Death:

Effects of Hodgkin's Disease

Cemetery Name:

Melrose Abbey Memorial Park

Claim to Fame:

Sports

Claude “Lefty” Williams (1893–1959) was an American left-handed pitcher whose promising baseball career was ultimately overshadowed by the infamous Black Sox Scandal. Born in Aurora, Missouri, Williams reached the major leagues in 1913 and eventually became a key pitcher for the Chicago White Sox. He helped the team win the 1917 World Series and reached his peak in 1919, when he won 23 games and posted a 2.64 ERA. However, that same year, Williams agreed to participate in a scheme to intentionally lose the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money. He lost all three of his starts, and although he was later acquitted in court, baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis permanently banned him from organized baseball in 1921. At just 27 years old, his major-league career was over. Williams spent much of the rest of his life struggling financially and working various jobs while occasionally playing semiprofessional baseball. His final career record was 82–48 with a 3.13 ERA, but he is remembered primarily for how the Black Sox Scandal ended what could have been a much greater baseball career.

Life After Baseball

More than any other player involved in the 1919 World Series fix, Williams struggled to make peace with his fateful decision to accept the bribe. Like many players of his era, he had few other marketable skills outside of his ability to play baseball. After struggling to run a pool hall on Chicago’s South Side, Williams took odd jobs as a painter, a department store floorman, and a tile-fitter. He began drinking more and his marriage suffered. In 1923, with Lefty still drinking heavily, his wife Lyria kicked him out of the house and the couple separated. They later reconciled and Lyria played a major role in straightening out his life.

Lefty Williams spent his later years in Laguna Beach, California, operating a garden nursery business. He passed away on November 4, 1959, ironically just weeks after the White Sox – with their first pennant since the Black Sox scandal of 1919 – lost the World Series to the Dodgers.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Melrose Abbey Memorial Park

2303 S Manchester Avenue

Anaheim, California, 92802

USA

North America

Map:

Melrose Abbey Memorial Park in Anaheim, California

Grave Location:

Abbey Mausoleum, North Patio, Crypt 40 G (bottom row)

Grave Location Description

The grave of Lefty Williams is no longer a mystery. As of August 22, 2026 principle photographer for The Tombstone Tourist Debbie Emery confirmed the actual location of Lefty and his wife’s eternal resting place. As you enter the cemetery turn left at the second road and drive straight ahead, turning right at the end of the road. As you enter the main cemetery take the first hard right and park in the mausoleum parking lot. Take the walkway towards the mausoleum and church entrance. Turn left at the first opportunity and walk about half-way down the breezeway. Look for the crypt on your right for Emma Young (second row from the bottom). The blank marble vault door below Emma is the confirmed location of baseball’s “eight men out” Lefty Williams.

Grave Location GPS

33.794477, -117.895442

Photos:

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FAQ's

Lefty Williams was born on March 9, 1893.

Lefty Williams was born in Aurora, Missouri.

Lefty Williams died on November 4, 1959.

Lefty Williams died in 31316 Monterey Street, South Laguna Beach, California.

Lefty Williams was 66.

The cause of death was Effects of Hodgkin's Disease.

Lefty Williams's grave is in Melrose Abbey Memorial Park

Videos Featuring Lefty Williams:

The 1919 World Series Fix that Tarnished America's Pastime

The Black Sox Scandal – A Chicago Stories Documentary

The Greatest Myth in Baseball History

They RIGGED the World Series... But do you know the whole story?

Watch YouTube video titled Lefty Williams of the 1919 Chicago White Sox

Lefty Williams