Who signed Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers?

Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers organization. As the Dodgers' president and general manager, Rickey recruited Robinson in 1945 as the player who would break Major League Baseball's color barrier.

Rickey did not immediately place Robinson on the Brooklyn major-league roster. Instead, he signed him to a minor-league contract and assigned him to the Montreal Royals, the Dodgers' top farm club. The arrangement was publicly announced on October 23, 1945. Robinson played for Montreal during the 1946 season before joining Brooklyn in 1947.

The signing followed an intense private interview in which Rickey tested whether Robinson could withstand the racial abuse he was certain to face. Rickey wanted a player with the courage to endure provocation without responding violently. Robinson went on to win the 1947 Rookie of the Year Award and the 1949 National League MVP Award. Walter O'Malley later became a major Dodgers owner, but he was not the executive who signed Robinson.