Edward Ball (businessman)
| Edward Gresham Ball | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
March 21, 1888 Hardings, Northumberland County, Virginia, United States |
| Died | June 24, 1981 (aged 93) New Orleans, Louisiana U.S. |
| Resting place | Wilmington, Delaware |
| Residence | Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Trust Administrator |
| Years active | 1926-1981 |
| Employer | Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust |
| Known for | financier, power broker |
| Home town | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Net worth | $200 million (value of estate at death) |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth (1933-1949; divorce) |
| Parent(s) | Lalla Gresham and Thomas Ball |
Edward Gresham Ball (March 21, 1888 – June 24, 1981) was an American businessperson. He was a powerful figure in business and politics in Florida for decades, despite the fact that he never held public office and did not own the assets he controlled. He worked for and with his brother-in-law, Alfred I. du Pont for nine years before running the Alfred I. duPont Testamentary Trust's businesses by himself for another 46 years. He led the St. Joe Company to become a major player in several industries in Florida.
Edward Ball was born at Ball's Neck in Northumberland County, Virginia and educated in the one-room Shiloh Schoolhouse. After completing primary school, he convinced his father to let him quit school and get a job. He had always been obsessed with making money; at one time, he prospected for gold in Alaska. However, when Ball's older sister, Jessie Ball became the third wife of Alfred I. du Pont in 1921, Edward was given the chance of a lifetime. He began working for his brother-in-law in 1923 at the lofty salary of $5,000 a year, and moved to Delaware where he was publicly named manager of the Clean Food Products Company. Privately, he was Mr. du Pont’s confidential business partner and became a shrewd financier and caretaker of the du Pont de Nemours estate fortune. After Jessie & Alfred moved to Florida in 1926, Edward joined them.
When Alfred died in 1935, his estate was valued at over $56 million, which, after estate taxes of $30 million, left $26 million. Alfred's will named Jessie as the principal trustee, but in reality, she deferred business decisions to her brother, Edward, who took control of the assets of the testamentary trusts, which included large Florida landholdings and industrial interests, including the Florida East Coast Railway. Jessie preferred to handle the philanthropic activities of the trust while Edward concentrated on making money.
Ball had no interest in running for office and little desire for material things; for most of his life, he didn't even own an automobile. Ball used various means to acquire enormous unofficial political power in Florida. He amassed a wide network of connections, and was the key figure in a group of 20 rural, conservative, north Florida politicians that controlled Florida from the 1930s to the 1960s called the Pork Chop Gang that was Florida's version of McCarthyism. Their public spokesman was Florida Senate President Charley Eugene Johns from Starke. The coalition supported racial segregation (which was practiced at the St. Joe Paper Mill) and was known for toasting, "Confusion to the Enemy!" with Jack Daniel's whiskey.
...
Wikipedia