Justin Ford Kimball

Justin Ford Kimball (August 25, 1872 - October 7, 1956) was an American businessman, educator, and inventor of the Blue Cross Group Hospital Insurance (now Blue Cross Blue Shield.)

Kimball was born to Justin A. Kimball and Elizabeth Kimball (née Ford) on a farm near Huntsville, Texas. He attended Mount Lebanon College in Louisiana in 1890. After graduation, he enrolled in Baylor University, where he graduated with an M.A. in 1899. He married Annie Lou Boggess in 1905 and had two sons and two daughters.

Kimball moved to Chicago to start postgraduate work at the University of Chicago, and also attended law school at the University of Michigan. He then moved to Louisiana and started work as a teacher in the rural schools. He then moved to Mexia, Texas, then Navasota, Texas, where he found jobs as a teacher until 1895, when he became principal in the small school system of Temple, Texas. In 1900, he was promoted to superintendent of the same school system.

Over the years, he established himself as a prominent education leader. His success in the schools prompted the Dallas Independent School District to hire him as general superintendent of Dallas ISD, and held that position from 1914 to 1924. His leadership role with Dallas ISD won him the position of president of the Texas State Teachers Association. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Baylor University. Kimball's overloaded schedule affected his health drastically, and he resigned from his position as superintendent after advice from his doctor.

Despite his resignation from the school system in Dallas, he was immediately asked to perform lecture series at Baylor University, Southern Methodist University, the Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, and the University of Texas. He accepted an education professorship at Southern Methodist University in 1925.

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