Houstonians at last 'on the Ball'
....By Bill Whitaker
Dorothy Pope's granddad may have lost the Texas governor's
mansion thanks to a crafty, last-minute campaign trick, but he's
still known to proud Houston historians as "Father of the
Port."
Come Saturday, other Texans will know of Thomas H. Ball Jr., too.
Dorothy, widow of local attorney John Pope, joins more kin than
she knew she had this weekend when she returns to Houston for
ceremonies honoring her late grandfather. The old man's efforts
in Congress and afterward cleared the way for Houston's famed
ship channel.
In ensuring a channel linked Houston to the gulf, Thomas H. Ball
Jr. - an orphan who went on to get himself elected to Congress
a century ago and also became a respected attorney - played a
pivotal role in solidifying Houston's economy.
Today, the port he "fathered" is the second largest
in the United States, eighth largest in the world.
"He liked to talk about all the things they did in Congress
and what Woodrow Wilson was like," Dorothy told me in her
downtown office yesterday, just before a power failure plunged
us into darkness.
"It made me form a very fine opinion of Woodrow Wilson,"
she said, "but it also gave me a very good opinion of my
grandfather, because you could tell from the way he talked that
he wasn't doing any of it for himself."
As is so often the case, Texas history has largely forgotten Ball.
Even the city of Houston, which owed so much to him, changed the
boulevard named in his honor to the more upscale-sounding "River
Oaks Boulevard."
Ball Boulevard just didn't sound exclusive enough.
Now, the Harris County Historical Commission wants to change all
that with a channel dedication ceremony recognizing Ball as "Father
of the Port."
What's so amazing about Ball is he got the ball rolling (so to
speak) on dredging the Houston ship channel while still a freshman
in Congress. In fact, hailing from Huntsville as he did, Ball
might well be the last person Houstonians could expect to count
on.
But Thomas H. Ball quickly won a place on the Rivers and Harbors
Committee in D.C. and even convinced fellow lawmakers to visit
Houston so they could see why, with the Buffalo Bayou flowing
through it, the place was perfect for a federally funded ship
channel.
"Funny thing is, the mayor wanted to cancel the trip because
Houston had had a three-month drought and the stream didn't look
too good," Dorothy said. "But it was too late. Fortunately,
everything turned out all right. When the committee arrived, it
was after seven days of rain.
"One of the congressmen said, 'Oh, what a magnificent stream!'
and they went back and passed it."
Although Ball served only four terms in Congress, he continued
to work mightily on behalf of the channel, even after it officially
opened in 1914 amidst blaring bands, 21-gun salutes and the casting
of rose petals onto the oily port waters.
Ball also won fame for routing a railroad through a town north
of Houston, which residents gratefully named Tomball. But when
Ball ran for governor on the Prohibition Party ticket, opponent
Jim Ferguson slyly had photos of all the saloons in Tomball circulated,
making Ball look like a hypocrite.
Naturally, the "Father of the Port" could hardly be
blamed because a town named in his honor was awash in demon rum.
But long afterward, Ball quietly credited his loss to the very
town named for him.
Later, when Gov. Ferguson sent Dorothy's granddad a bottle of
bourbon for Christmas, Ball smashed it.
Most of that's been known only to family and a few Houston-area
historians, Dorothy said.
"I always thought they might remember my grandfather some
day," she said, "but you just kind of have to wait till
someone gets on the ball."
Which is saying a mouthful.
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1997, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps. Publications
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