Louis Fenn Wadsworth (May 6, 1825 – March 26, 1908) was an American baseball pioneer, who was a player and organizer with the New York Knickerbockers in the 1840s.
He is credited with helping develop the number of innings and players on each team.
Born in either Hartford, Connecticut, Litchfield, Connecticut or Amenia, New York,[1] Wadsworth graduated from Washington College (now Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.), and worked as a naval office attorney in the New York Custom House.
[1] "A tempestuous character," wrote MLB's official historian John Thorn, "Wadsworth commenced his ball playing days with the Gothams, a venerable club that actually predated the Knickerbockers, with whom he quickly achieved prominence as the top first baseman of his time.
A statement by Duncan Curry revealed that “a diagram, showing the ball field laid out substantially as it is today, was brought to the field one day by a Mr. Wadsworth.” [2] Unbeknownst to the members of the Mills commission, he died in a poorhouse in Plainfield, New Jersey 8 days after the Spalding Guide was released.