Like his father, Rickey graduated from
Ohio Wesleyan University and attended the
University of Michigan School of Law. Branch Jr. entered baseball in
1935 as business manager of the
Albany Travelers of the Class D
Georgia–Florida League, one of the many farm clubs in his father's
St. Louis Cardinals organization. In
1939, he joined the archrival
Brooklyn Dodgers as farm system director, recruited by the then-Brooklyn president,
Larry MacPhail. However, in a strange turn of events, when MacPhail resigned at the end of the
1942 season to rejoin the armed forces, he was replaced by Branch Sr., who in 1945 became a co-owner of the Brooklyn club. The younger Rickey then worked with his father as the Dodgers' farm director through
1947. During that time, on October 23, 1945, Branch Jr. was present at the historic signing of
Jackie Robinson by the Dodgers'
Montreal Royals farm club as the first Black player in "
Organized Baseball" since 1884. Representing his father and the Brooklyn franchise at the press conference in
Montréal, Rickey told surprised reporters that the Dodgers "are not inviting trouble, but [we] won't avoid it if it comes." From through the end of the season, the younger Rickey was Brooklyn's assistant
general manager, working directly under his father. But in late October 1950,
Walter O'Malley acquired controlling interest in the team and forced Rickey Sr., his former partner, out of the Brooklyn front office. Rickey Sr. then moved to the
Pittsburgh Pirates as
executive vice president and
general manager, with Branch Jr. accompanying him as the Pirates' vice president and farm system director. The younger Rickey held that post until his death in Pittsburgh at age 47 on April 10, 1961. He had long been troubled by
diabetes, and
hepatitis and
pneumonia were also factors in his passing. Although the 1951–55 reign of Branch Sr. as GM of the Pirates was at the time viewed as a failure, he and Branch Jr. put into place the successful Pittsburgh organization of the 1960s and 1970s. Led by the great
Roberto Clemente, drafted by the Rickeys from the Dodgers, the Bucs won the
1960 World Series and the
1971 World Series. Pittsburgh contended through the rest of that decade, winning its last Series in
1979. ==References==