Robert H. Leadley (November 11, 1858 – May 19, 1936) was an American professional baseball manager, administrator, and team owner whose career spanned from 1884 to 1897. He was a manager in Major League Baseball for the last portion of the 1888 season with the Detroit Wolverines and for parts of the 1890 and 1891 seasons with the Cleveland Spiders. Over those three seasons, Leadley compiled a record of 76–86 and a winning percentage of .469. Leadley was also one of the organizers of the New Pacific League, one of the first baseball leagues on the west coast, and co-owner with Bob Glenalvin of the short-lived Seattle Yannigans/Rainmakers in 1896 and the Grand Rapids Bob-o-links in 1897. In 1899, Leadley was removed from his position as clerk of the Police Court in Detroit after $10,000 was discovered missing. A warrant was issued for Leadley's arrest, but he fled to Mexico City as a fugitive where he lived for at least the next ten years. Early years Leadley was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1858. He moved to Detroit where he worked as an accountant and also managed the Cass Club baseball team in the early 1880s. In December 1881, he was married to Mattie Jane Long in Detroit. Professional baseball Detroit Wolverines Leadley served as the Secretary of the Detroit Wolverines baseball club from 1884 to 1888 with principal responsibility for handling the club's finances. He was also the head of the Cass Club baseball club in Detroit. In late August 1888, the Detroit Wolverines fired, or accepted the resignation of, Bill Watkins as their manager; Leadley was hired as "acting manager" in his place. When asked what he was going to do about the team's downward spiral, he replied, "I hardly know. The outlook is not very brilliant, but I shall take hold and do the best I can and trust the rest to fortune." Leadley managed the team for the last 38 games of the season and compiled a 19–19 record. At the end of the 1888 season, the Detroit Wolverines left the National League, and most of the players were sold to other clubs. A new Detroit Wolverines team was formed for the 1889 as part of the International Association. Leadley served as the Wolverines' manager in 1889 and 1890. The 1889 Detroit club compiled a 72–39 record, and was, according to its star outfielder Count