L. Heisler Ball
Encyclopedia
Dr. Lewis Heisler Ball was an American physician and politician from Mill Creek Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware, near Stanton. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Representative from Delaware and two terms as U.S. Senator from Delaware. He was known by his middle name.
, New Castle County, Delaware, son of John Ball and Sarah (Baldwin) Ball. He attended the Rugby Academy at Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from the Delaware College
at Newark, Delaware in 1882. He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
in Philadelphia in 1885 and began the practice of medicine at Brandywine Springs
, near Wilmington in 1887. He married Katherine Springer Justis on November 14, 1893.
for a seat in the U.S. Senate. A gas company industrialist, he spent vast amounts of his own fortune to build a Republican Party, with that purpose in mind. Largely successful in heavily Democratic Kent County and Sussex County, he financed the organization of a faction that came to be known as "Union Republicans". Meanwhile he was making bitter enemies of the New Castle County "Regular Republicans", many of whom considered him nothing more than a carpetbagger from Philadelphia.
Ball was a Regular Republican, and an outspoken opponent of Addicks. As such he was elected State Treasurer of Delaware from 1899 to 1901. He was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1900. During this term, he served with the Republican majority in the 57th Congress from March 4, 1901 until March 3, 1903. This was during the administrations of U.S. Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
In 1899, one of the U.S. Senate seats came open and the Union Republicans in the Delaware General Assembly were committed to electing Addicks. Without the votes to do so, they were able to block the election of anyone else. As a result, one of Delaware's U.S. Senate seats remained vacant for four years, and when the other came open, it too was left vacant due to the deadlock. Finally, in 1903, the matter became national news and too much of an embarrassment to continue. Addicks relented and allowed Ball to be elected to the remaining two years left on the first seat and Addicks' lieutenant, J. Frank Allee
was elected to the second seat.
providing for the popular election of U.S. Senators.
Several years later, in the second popular election of a U.S. Senator in Delaware, Ball was again elected to the U.S. Senate, this time in 1918, defeating incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Willard Saulsbury, Jr. During this term, Ball served with the Republican majority in the 66th, 67th and 68th U.S. Congress. In the 66th Congress he was chairman of the Committee on Enrolled Bills and in the 67th and 68th Congress he was a member of the Committee on the District of Columbia. He was also appointed as a member of the rent commission of Washington. Ball's actions with the rent commission angered some people. In August 1921, a shot was fired at Ball as he drove in an automobile, although he was not injured. The senator had received a threatening letter the day of the assault.
In June 1919 he cast his vote in favor of the Nineteenth Amendment
providing for Women's suffrage. Despite this, a year later, when Delaware had the opportunity to be the 36th and decisive state to ratify the amendment and make it law, supporters in the General Assembly failed to get the needed votes and the honor passed to Tennessee.
Ball was never considered an especially effective U.S. Senator in terms of gaining patronage for Delaware. However, he ensured his eventual defeat by becoming a rival of T. Coleman du Pont, the former President of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
, and the effective leader of the Republican Party in Delaware. Du Pont had hoped to be the Republican candidate for U.S. President in 1920, but his efforts began to collapse when Ball deserted him after the first ballot at the 1920 Republican National Convention
. Then, in 1922, Ball failed to support du Pont as he sought a full term in the U.S. Senate himself. By 1924 du Pont thought he had a score to settle and defeated Ball for their party’s nomination for a full term in 1924.
In all Ball served two separate terms, the first from March 4, 1903 until March 3, 1905, during the administration of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, and the second from March 4, 1919 to March 3, 1925, during the administrations of U.S. Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge.
Before 1913 the General Assembly chose the U.S. Senators, who also took office March 4, but for a six year term. In this first case he was completing the existing term, the vacancy caused by the failure of the General Assembly to make a selection for four years. After 1913 the U.S. Senators were popularly elected.
Early life and family
Ball was born in Mill Creek HundredMill Creek Hundred
Mill Creek Hundred is the name of an unincorporated subdivision of New Castle County, Delaware. Hundreds were once used as a basis for representation in the Delaware General Assembly, and while their names still appear on all real estate transactions, they presently have no meaningful use or...
, New Castle County, Delaware, son of John Ball and Sarah (Baldwin) Ball. He attended the Rugby Academy at Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from the Delaware College
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
at Newark, Delaware in 1882. He received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
The Perelman School of Medicine , formerly the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was founded in 1765, making it the oldest American medical school. As part of the University of Pennsylvania, it is located in the University City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is widely...
in Philadelphia in 1885 and began the practice of medicine at Brandywine Springs
Brandywine Springs
Brandywine Springs is a historic area near Newport, Delaware, along the Red Clay Creek.It is noted from early American history as a Revolutionary War encampment of General George Washington's army....
, near Wilmington in 1887. He married Katherine Springer Justis on November 14, 1893.
The Addicks Era
At the turn of the twentieth century Delaware was going through a political transformation. Most obvious to the public was the bitter division in the Republican Party caused, in part, by the ambitions of J. Edward AddicksJ. Edward Addicks
John Edward Charles O'Sullivan Addicks was an industrialist and capitalist who used his wealth from financing and building gas works to wage four unsuccessful campaigns for a United States Senate seat in Delaware. His struggle with Henry A...
for a seat in the U.S. Senate. A gas company industrialist, he spent vast amounts of his own fortune to build a Republican Party, with that purpose in mind. Largely successful in heavily Democratic Kent County and Sussex County, he financed the organization of a faction that came to be known as "Union Republicans". Meanwhile he was making bitter enemies of the New Castle County "Regular Republicans", many of whom considered him nothing more than a carpetbagger from Philadelphia.
Ball was a Regular Republican, and an outspoken opponent of Addicks. As such he was elected State Treasurer of Delaware from 1899 to 1901. He was then elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1900. During this term, he served with the Republican majority in the 57th Congress from March 4, 1901 until March 3, 1903. This was during the administrations of U.S. Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt.
In 1899, one of the U.S. Senate seats came open and the Union Republicans in the Delaware General Assembly were committed to electing Addicks. Without the votes to do so, they were able to block the election of anyone else. As a result, one of Delaware's U.S. Senate seats remained vacant for four years, and when the other came open, it too was left vacant due to the deadlock. Finally, in 1903, the matter became national news and too much of an embarrassment to continue. Addicks relented and allowed Ball to be elected to the remaining two years left on the first seat and Addicks' lieutenant, J. Frank Allee
J. Frank Allee
James Frank Allee was an American merchant and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U.S. Senator from Delaware. He was known by his middle name.-Early life and family:Allee was born in Dover,...
was elected to the second seat.
United States Senator
Accordingly, Ball was elected to the U.S. Senate on March 2, 1903, and served the remaining two years of the term with the Republican majority in the 58th Congress. But the controversy was not over. In 1905, when Ball's term ended, the General Assembly again deadlocked and it took another two years to fill the seat. In the meantime, Addicks suffered major business setbacks and ceased to be a political factor. Regardless, the repeated inability of the Delaware General Assembly to fulfill this constitutional duty contributed strong evidence throughout the nation of the need for the Seventeenth AmendmentSeventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution established direct election of United States Senators by popular vote. The amendment supersedes Article I, § 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures...
providing for the popular election of U.S. Senators.
Several years later, in the second popular election of a U.S. Senator in Delaware, Ball was again elected to the U.S. Senate, this time in 1918, defeating incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Willard Saulsbury, Jr. During this term, Ball served with the Republican majority in the 66th, 67th and 68th U.S. Congress. In the 66th Congress he was chairman of the Committee on Enrolled Bills and in the 67th and 68th Congress he was a member of the Committee on the District of Columbia. He was also appointed as a member of the rent commission of Washington. Ball's actions with the rent commission angered some people. In August 1921, a shot was fired at Ball as he drove in an automobile, although he was not injured. The senator had received a threatening letter the day of the assault.
In June 1919 he cast his vote in favor of the Nineteenth Amendment
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
providing for Women's suffrage. Despite this, a year later, when Delaware had the opportunity to be the 36th and decisive state to ratify the amendment and make it law, supporters in the General Assembly failed to get the needed votes and the honor passed to Tennessee.
Ball was never considered an especially effective U.S. Senator in terms of gaining patronage for Delaware. However, he ensured his eventual defeat by becoming a rival of T. Coleman du Pont, the former President of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
DuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
, and the effective leader of the Republican Party in Delaware. Du Pont had hoped to be the Republican candidate for U.S. President in 1920, but his efforts began to collapse when Ball deserted him after the first ballot at the 1920 Republican National Convention
1920 Republican National Convention
The 1920 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States nominated Ohio Senator Warren G. Harding for President and Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge for Vice President...
. Then, in 1922, Ball failed to support du Pont as he sought a full term in the U.S. Senate himself. By 1924 du Pont thought he had a score to settle and defeated Ball for their party’s nomination for a full term in 1924.
In all Ball served two separate terms, the first from March 4, 1903 until March 3, 1905, during the administration of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, and the second from March 4, 1919 to March 3, 1925, during the administrations of U.S. Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge.
Death and legacy
Ball died at Faulkland, near Wilmington, and is buried in the St. James Episcopal Church Cemetery at Mill Creek Hundred, near Stanton.Almanac
Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. The State Treasurer takes office the third Tuesday of January and had a two year term. U.S. Representatives took office March 4 and also have a two year term.Before 1913 the General Assembly chose the U.S. Senators, who also took office March 4, but for a six year term. In this first case he was completing the existing term, the vacancy caused by the failure of the General Assembly to make a selection for four years. After 1913 the U.S. Senators were popularly elected.
| Public Offices | ||||||
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| Office | Type | Location | Began office | Ended office | notes | |
| State Treasurer Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:... |
Executive Executive (government) Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term... |
Dover Dover, Delaware The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware... |
January 17, 1899 | January 15, 1901 | ||
| U.S. Representative United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution... |
Legislature Legislature A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and... |
Washington Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
March 4, 1901 | March 3, 1903 | ||
| U.S. Senator | Legislature Legislature A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and... |
Washington Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
March 2, 1903 | March 3, 1905 | ||
| U.S. Senator | Legislative | Washington Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
March 4, 1919 | March 3, 1925 | ||
| United States Congressional service | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | Congress | Chamber | Majority | President | Committees | Class/District |
| 1901–1903 | 57th 57th United States Congress -House of Representatives:*Democratic: 151*Republican: 200 *Populist: 5*Silver : 1TOTAL members: 357-Leadership:-Senate:* President: Theodore Roosevelt , until September 14, 1901, vacant thereafter.... |
U.S. House United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution... |
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... |
William McKinley William McKinley William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s... Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity... |
at-large Delaware's At-large congressional district Delaware's At-large congressional district is a congressional district that includes the entire U.S. state of Delaware.It is currently represented by Democrat John C. Carney, Jr., the former Lieutenant Governor of Delaware.-Voting:-History:... |
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| 1903–1905 | 58th 58th United States Congress - House of Representatives :* Republican : 209 * Democratic : 176* Silver Republican : 1TOTAL members: 386-Senate:* President: Vacant* President pro tempore: William P. Frye -Members:... |
U.S. Senate | 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... |
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity... |
class 1 Delaware's At-large congressional district Delaware's At-large congressional district is a congressional district that includes the entire U.S. state of Delaware.It is currently represented by Democrat John C. Carney, Jr., the former Lieutenant Governor of Delaware.-Voting:-History:... |
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| 1919–1921 | 66th 66th United States Congress The Sixty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1919 to March 4, 1921, during the last two years of... |
U.S. Senate | 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... |
Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913... |
class 2 Classes of United States Senators The three classes of United States Senators are currently made up of 33 or 34 Senate seats. The purpose of the classes is to determine which Senate seats will be up for election in a given year. The three groups are staggered so that one of them is up for election every two years.A senator's... |
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| 1921–1923 | 67th 67th United States Congress The Sixty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1921 to March 4, 1923, during the first two years... |
U.S. Senate | 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... |
Warren G. Harding Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator... Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state... |
class 2 Classes of United States Senators The three classes of United States Senators are currently made up of 33 or 34 Senate seats. The purpose of the classes is to determine which Senate seats will be up for election in a given year. The three groups are staggered so that one of them is up for election every two years.A senator's... |
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| 1923–1925 | 68th 68th United States Congress The Sixty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1923 to March 4, 1925, during the last months of... |
U.S. Senate | 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... |
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state... |
class 2 Classes of United States Senators The three classes of United States Senators are currently made up of 33 or 34 Senate seats. The purpose of the classes is to determine which Senate seats will be up for election in a given year. The three groups are staggered so that one of them is up for election every two years.A senator's... |
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| Election results | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | ||
| 1898 | State Treasurer Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:... |
L. Heisler Ball | 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... |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
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| 1900 | U.S. Representative United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution... |
L. Heisler Ball | 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... |
22,353 | 53% | Alexander M. Daly | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
19,157 | 46% | ||
| 1918 | U.S. Senator United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each... |
L. Heisler Ball | 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... |
21,519 | 51% | Willard Saulsbury, Jr. Willard Saulsbury, Jr. Willard Saulsbury, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party who served as U.S. Senator from Delaware and President pro tempore of the U.S... |
Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... |
20,113 | 48% | ||
Images
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress; photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress.
External links
- Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Delaware’s Members of Congress
- Find a Grave
- The Political Graveyard
- Suffrage Battle in Delaware
Places with more information
- Delaware Historical SocietyDelaware Historical SocietyThe Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...
; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161 - University of DelawareUniversity of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965