Joseph H. Ball
Encyclopedia
Joseph Hurst Ball was
a newspaper reporter who became a United States Senator at the age of 35, as the result of an accident. When Minnesota
's U.S. Senator Ernest Lundeen
was killed in a plane crash
on August 31, 1940, Ball was the surprise appointment to fill the unexpired term. Ball went on to win a six-year term of office in his own right in the 1942 election.
on November 3, 1905 and graduated from high school in 1922. He financed his education at Antioch College
by planting corn on borrowed land, and held jobs during his two years there as a telephone linesman, a construction worker, and a factory employee. In 1925, he transferred to Eau Claire Normal, and then to the University of Minnesota
, but never earned a degree. In 1927, he got a reporting job at the Minneapolis Journal. When he sold a story to a pulp magazine for $50, he quit to become a free lance writer, and spent a year writing paperback fiction before returning to journalism, this time for the St. Paul Pioneer Press
. In 1934, he became the paper's state political reporter, and befriended assistant county attorney Harold Stassen
, a fellow Republican
. As a columnist in the Pioneer Press, Ball was critical of President Roosevelt and the Democratic-majority in Congress, but was also an opponent of isolationism
. In the meantime, Stassen was elected Governor of Minnesota
.
, he supported FDR's foreign policy, voting in favor of the lend-lease
program on March 8, 1941 in spite of letters from his constituents that ran "25 to 1 against the bill". After the bombing of Pearl Harbor
, however, Minnesotans came to appreciate their foresighted Senator. The change in sentiment was best illustrated by the editorial pages of the Fairmont Daily Sentinel, as quoted in an article in The New Republic. When he had first been appointed, the Sentinel ran an editorial with the headline, "Joe Ball for U.S. Senator! Good God!"; upon Ball's re-election, the Sentinel ran another editorial entitled "Joe Ball for U.S. Senator! Thank God!".
Ball was elected to the Senate in the 1942 election, receiving 47% of the vote against Farmer-Labour, Independent and Democratic opposition. Because Ball's 1940 appointment had been set to expire on the day of the next senatorial election rather than the expiration of Lundeen's term, Ball ceased being Senator on the day that he won a six-year term. Arthur E. Nelson
won a special election to fill the remaining two months of Senator Lundeen's original term, and was sworn in on November 17. Ball then took office again, as a freshman Senator, on January 3, 1943, serving until January 3, 1949. In 1943, he was one of four Senate sponsors of the bill to establish what would become the United Nations
. He soundly lost his reelection bid in 1948 to another young Minnesotan, 37 year old Hubert Humphrey
. Ball, who had never stopped writing his column for the Pioneer Press, even during his service in the United States Senate, returned to the news business and continued to comment on American foreign policy in a newsletter. He worked as an executive in the shipping industry until retiring in 1982, and died in Chevy Chase, Maryland
at the age of 89.
a newspaper reporter who became a United States Senator at the age of 35, as the result of an accident. When Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
's U.S. Senator Ernest Lundeen
Ernest Lundeen
Ernest Lundeen was an American lawyer and politician.Lundeen was born and raised on his father's homestead in Brooklyn Township of Lincoln County near Beresford, South Dakota. His father, C. H...
was killed in a plane crash
Lovettsville Air Disaster
The Lovettsville air disaster occurred on August 31, 1940 near Lovettsville, Virginia. Pennsylvania Central Airlines Trip 19 was a new Douglas DC-3A that was flying through an intense thunderstorm at . Numerous witnesses reported seeing a large flash of lightning shortly before it nosed over and...
on August 31, 1940, Ball was the surprise appointment to fill the unexpired term. Ball went on to win a six-year term of office in his own right in the 1942 election.
Pre-Senate career
Joseph Hurst Ball was born in Crookston, MinnesotaCrookston, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,192 people, 3,078 households, and 1,819 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,658.8 people per square mile . There were 3,382 housing units at an average density of 684.8 per square mile...
on November 3, 1905 and graduated from high school in 1922. He financed his education at Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
by planting corn on borrowed land, and held jobs during his two years there as a telephone linesman, a construction worker, and a factory employee. In 1925, he transferred to Eau Claire Normal, and then to the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, but never earned a degree. In 1927, he got a reporting job at the Minneapolis Journal. When he sold a story to a pulp magazine for $50, he quit to become a free lance writer, and spent a year writing paperback fiction before returning to journalism, this time for the St. Paul Pioneer Press
St. Paul Pioneer Press
The St. Paul Pioneer Press is a newspaper based in St. Paul, Minnesota, primarily serving the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Circulation is heaviest in the eastern metro region, including Ramsey, Dakota, and Washington counties, along with western Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota and Anoka County,...
. In 1934, he became the paper's state political reporter, and befriended assistant county attorney Harold Stassen
Harold Stassen
Harold Edward Stassen was the 25th Governor of Minnesota from 1939 to 1943. After service in World War II, from 1948 to 1953 he was president of the University of Pennsylvania...
, a fellow Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. As a columnist in the Pioneer Press, Ball was critical of President Roosevelt and the Democratic-majority in Congress, but was also an opponent of isolationism
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
. In the meantime, Stassen was elected Governor of Minnesota
Governor of Minnesota
The Governor of Minnesota is the chief executive of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty different people have been governors of the state, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial...
.
United States Senator
When Senator Lundeen, an isolationist, was killed in a plane crash, Stassen appointed Ball to fill the remaining two years of Lundeen's term. One of the youngest persons ever to become a U.S. Senator, Ball, at 35, was also the first Senator to be required to register for the draft, when a law passed in October 1940. After being sworn in on October 14, 1940, Ball stunned his fellow conservatives in his first speech on the Senate floor, calling for the United States to aid Britain as "a barrier between us and whatever designs Hitler and his allies may have on this continent," Though he was an opponent of the New DealNew Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, he supported FDR's foreign policy, voting in favor of the lend-lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
program on March 8, 1941 in spite of letters from his constituents that ran "25 to 1 against the bill". After the bombing of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, however, Minnesotans came to appreciate their foresighted Senator. The change in sentiment was best illustrated by the editorial pages of the Fairmont Daily Sentinel, as quoted in an article in The New Republic. When he had first been appointed, the Sentinel ran an editorial with the headline, "Joe Ball for U.S. Senator! Good God!"; upon Ball's re-election, the Sentinel ran another editorial entitled "Joe Ball for U.S. Senator! Thank God!".
Ball was elected to the Senate in the 1942 election, receiving 47% of the vote against Farmer-Labour, Independent and Democratic opposition. Because Ball's 1940 appointment had been set to expire on the day of the next senatorial election rather than the expiration of Lundeen's term, Ball ceased being Senator on the day that he won a six-year term. Arthur E. Nelson
Arthur E. Nelson
Arthur Emanuel Nelson was an American lawyer and politician.He graduated from Macalester College in 1912 and William Mitchell College of Law in 1915. He also served briefly in the U.S. Army from August to November 1918.Nelson was elected Mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1922. He served one...
won a special election to fill the remaining two months of Senator Lundeen's original term, and was sworn in on November 17. Ball then took office again, as a freshman Senator, on January 3, 1943, serving until January 3, 1949. In 1943, he was one of four Senate sponsors of the bill to establish what would become the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. He soundly lost his reelection bid in 1948 to another young Minnesotan, 37 year old Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
. Ball, who had never stopped writing his column for the Pioneer Press, even during his service in the United States Senate, returned to the news business and continued to comment on American foreign policy in a newsletter. He worked as an executive in the shipping industry until retiring in 1982, and died in Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
at the age of 89.
External links
- Joseph H. Ball's personal papers are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society.