My mother's cousin married National League slugger Dixie Walker in 1936. He played as a right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1949. Although Walker was a five-time All-Star selection, and won a National League batting championship (1944) as well as an RBI championship (1945) as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, his accomplishments as a player were overshadowed by his attempt to keep Jackie Robinson from joining the Dodgers in 1947. He also played for the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates.
In 11 years in the National League, Walker posted a .310 batting average (in nine seasons in the American League, an average of .295), with 105 total home runs and 1,023 RBIs in 1,905 games. He suggested he would not play for the Dodgers if a black baseball player were permitted on the team. He reportedly initiated a player petition within the Dodgers in 1947, opposing Jackie Robinson joining the team, and he wrote a letter to Dodgers owner Branch Rickey asking to be traded. ”A very popular player, a charming fellow, [Dixie Walker] prepared a petition [for Dodgers manager Leo Durocher] saying, ‘If you promote a black man [Robinson], we will not play.’ He was one of the first Americans to be "Cancelled", being traded to the Pirates soon after.
My mom remembers his dog, a large black Labrador named Nigger. Needless to say, he was comfortable dropping the N-bomb.