• Card series: Beginnings: 1880's
• League: National League

Wallace Clifton Fessenden (1860-1935) was born in New Hampshire as the clouds of civil war were gathering. At age 28 he umpired in the National League, logging 52 games in 1889 and returning for one game in 1890. At the end of that season, Fessenden left his referee garb on July 2 and stepped in as the interim manager of the American Association’s Syracuse Stars three weeks later. The team went 4-7 during his time at the helm. His ace that season was Dan Casey, who although not the real model for Mighty Casey, had the honor of reenacting Thayer’s opus at the inauguration of the Hall of Fame in 1939. The best hitter on the Stars was Cupid Childs who hit .345. Wally followed George Kasson Frazier who, with Fessenden, shared the distinction of managing the Stars that year as their only major league managerial experience. Frazier was the team owner and stepped aside as the season wound down toward the dissolution of the club at year’s end. The Stars had been an International Association team in 1888 and ’89 before their sole MLB season in the AA.

• Fessenden had gained some minor league managerial experience with Lynn of the Massachusetts State Association in 1884 and with Salem of the New England League in 1888