Minor Fictional Characters in The House of Daniel

This article lists the various minor fictional characters who appear in The House of Daniel. These characters play at best a peripheral role in the novel. Most were simply mentioned or had a very brief, unimportant speaking role that impacted the plot minimally, if at all, and never appeared again. Some were not even given a name.

Benjamin Harrison Caesar
Benjamin Harrison Caesar was one of the best pitchers in professional baseball history, playing for the Philadelphia Quakers and St. Louis Archdeacons during his 20-year career. He left the big leagues, reportedly due to alcoholism, and joined the semi-pro House of Daniel. Unlike most members of the House, famous for their beards, Caesar remained clean shaven during his time with them, which also was ended by the bottle.

Jack Spivey played for the House in 1934, and learned that Caesar had left the team around two years earlier.

Literary comment
B.H. Caesar is an analog of Grover Cleveland Alexander (1887-1950), with Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland being consecutive US Presidents, and both Caesar and Alexander being ancient empire-builders.

Cliff Ditto
Cliff Ditto was the manager of the Walla Walla Bears. Jack Spivey found his name funny.

Literary comment
In the Author's Note, Harry Turtledove explains that there was a historical Cliff Ditto from Walla Walla, but the Daniel version is approximately 40 years older than the OTL man.

Professor Houlihan
Professor Houlihan taught a magic class at Mesa State College. His proclamation that zombies were incapable of rising up against their masters, was spectacular disproven by the Great Zombie Riots of 1934.

Iverson
Iverson was a writer of pulp fantasy. Fidgety Frank was fond of Iverson's work. In one story published in Amazing, a character repelled a werewolf by tossing a silver coin at it - a feat which Frank successfully duplicated, much to Jack Spivey's admiration.

Literary comment
Iverson appears to be a self-caricature of Harry Turtledove, who, early in his career, wrote were-beast stories under the pseudonym Eric Iverson.

Sarah Jane Spivey
Sarah Jane Spivey was the first-born child of Jack Spivey and his wife Mich Carstairs.

Second Spivey child
A year or two after Sarah Jane Spivey was born, her parents Jack and Mich were expecting again. Jack hoped the new one would be a boy.

Literary comment
The novel ends as Jack announces this pregnancy, leaving any further details unrevealed.

Heber Orson Woodruff
Heber Orson Woodruff was a pitcher for the Brigham City Peaches. When Jack Spivey suggested that Woodruff go into professional baseball, Woodruff replied that he considered his family's peach farm to be a more important venture. He also intended to spend two years on a Mormon mission.