:Tom Gulley

{{Short description|American baseball player (1899–1966)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Tom Gulley

|position=First Base, Right Fielder, Pinch Hitter

|image=Gulley from L' Allegro 1923.jpg

|bats=Left

|throws=Right

|birth_date={{Birth date|1899|12|25}}

|birth_place=Garner, North Carolina, US

|death_date={{death date and age|1966|11|24|1899|12|25}}

|death_place=St. Charles, Arkansas, US

|debutleague=MLB

|debutdate=August 24

|debutyear=1923

|debutteam=Cleveland Indians

|finalleague=MLB

|finaldate=May 22

|finalyear=1926

|finalteam=Chicago White Sox

|statleague=MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.207

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=0

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=9

|teams=

• Cleveland Indians ({{baseball year|1923}}–{{baseball year|1924}})
• Chicago White Sox ({{baseball year|1926}})

}}

Thomas Jefferson Gulley (December 25, 1899 – November 24, 1966) was a professional baseball right fielder and pinch hitter.{{cite web | url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=gulleto01&t=b&year=1924 | title=Tom Gulley 1924 Batting Game Logs | website=Baseball Reference | access-date=18 August 2020}} He was {{height|ft=5|in=11}} and weighed {{Convert|178|lb|kg}}. He went to Mississippi College. Gulley played first base for the Little Rock Travelers in the Southern Association for six seasons. He holds the Travelers' highest single-season batting average at .378 in 1925.{{cite web |title=Past Inductees arksportshalloffame |url=https://www.arksportshalloffame.com/past-inductees |website=Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=18 August 2020}}

He made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians on August 24, 1923 and remained with the Indians for the 1924 season. Over those two seasons Gulley played in five games. He did not play in the major leagues in 1925. Gulley joined the Chicago White Sox on April 13, 1926, playing in 12 games. Just over a month after joining the team he played his last major league game on May 22, 1926.{{cite web |title=WSC Vintage: Tom Gulley |url=https://whitesoxcards.blogspot.com/2013/09/wsc-vintage-tom-gulley.html |website=White Sox Cards |date=September 2013 |access-date=18 August 2020}} He returned to the Travelers in 1927.{{cite book |last1=Turner |first1=Terry |title=Baseball in Little Rock |date=2004 |publisher=Arcadia |location=United States |pages=10, 25 |isbn=9780738533001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DS2V3x5ZQ3IC |access-date=18 August 2020}}

Gulley became sheriff of Pulaski County, Arkansas, in 1947 and served 12 years. While serving as Pulaski County sheriff, he organized Little Rock's Junior Deputy baseball program in 1947.{{cite web |title=About Our Club |url=https://www.juniordeputy.com/Default.aspx?tabid=658890&ctl=viewaboutclub&mid=683346 |website=Junior Deputy Babe Ruth Baseball |access-date=18 August 2020}} It was the first youth league organization in the state. His work with the Junior Deputy program was recognized by the community as he was voted first place as the "Little Rockian of the Year" for 1948.{{cite journal |title=Pulaski County Junior Deputy Sheriffs League |journal=FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin |date=September 1952 |volume=21 |issue=9 |pages=21–22 |url=https://leb.fbi.gov/file-repository/archives/september-1952.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2pNYlVmqi8UInTqZ0FXLF4 |access-date=18 August 2020}}

Gulley was sheriff during the events of the Little Rock Nine.{{cite web |title=The Panama American ( September 13, 1958 ) |url=https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00010883/02670 |website=UFDC |publisher=University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) |access-date=18 August 2020}} He was elected Pulaski County Judge in 1966 but died before taking office.

On November 25, 1966, Gulley died of accidental drowning after his car rolled down a ramp while crossing a ferry. He was on a deer hunting trip near Saint Charles, Arkansas.{{cite book |title=Arkansas Highways |date=1982 |publisher=State Highway Commission |location=United States |page=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VR86AQAAMAAJ&q=gulley |access-date=18 August 2020}}

Gulley was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.