Thomas H. Ball, Jr.
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Son of the Rev. and Mrs. Thomas H. Ball, was born in Huntsville, Texas, on January 14, 1859. He graduated from Austin College in Huntsville in 1877. He married Minnie F. Thomason in 1882, and they became the parents of four children. Ball studied law in a Huntsville law office and in 1887, one year prior to his admittance to the Texas Bar, he was elected mayor of Huntsville. He served three terms. In 1896 Ball was elected to the U. S. Congress. During his four congressional terms he played a key role in gaining Federal authorization and funding for the building of the Houston Ship Channel. He returned to Houston in 1903 as the law partner of Frank Andrews. Ball provided many years of free legal counsel and lobbying on behalf of the Harris County Navigation District and earned local acclaim as the "Father of the Port." The town of Tomball, established in north Harris County on the Trinity and brazos Valley Railroad which Ball represented, was named for him. After a narrow defeat in the 1914 Texas Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, Ball practiced law in Houston and in 1923 was appointed counsel of the Harris County Navigation District. Ball died on May 7, 1944, and is buried in Houston's Forest Park Cemetery. Sesquicentennial of Texas Statehood 1845 - 1995
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Huntsville in 1859, Thomas H. Ball, Jr. rose from small-town mayor to four terms in the U.S. Congress, where he secured federal authorization and funding for the Houston Ship Channel. His decades of legal work and lobbying for the Harris County Navigation District earned him the title 'Father of the Port,' and the town of Tomball was named in his honor.
Why it matters
Ball's push for the ship channel transformed Houston into a major deep-water port, reshaping the economy of the entire Gulf region.
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Related people
- · Thomas H. Ball, Jr.
Related events
- · Construction of the Houston Ship Channel
Themes & tags
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