Edward Ball
(1888-1981)

Died aged c. 93

Edward Ball was born in 1888 Northumberland County, Virginia, and came to Florida in the 1920s after being asked by his brother-in-law, Alfred I. duPont, to assist with his Florida business interests. Ball tripled duPont’s holdings, investing in real estate and banking. When the State of Florida was having revenue difficulty, Ball prepaid the taxes on the duPont estate in order to assist the state. After duPont’s death in 1935, Ball acquired more than a million acres of Florida land, as well as a major interest in the Florida National Bank, which he used as basis for the Florida National Group, one of the most successful banking ventures in the state. Ball also established the Ed Ball Wildlife Foundation, a perpetual trust with sanctuaries in seven locations across Florida. He bequeathed his estate to the Nemours Foundation established by Alfred duPont, which operates the Nemours Children’s Clinic in Jacksonville. Edward Ball died in 1981.

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Edward Gresham Ball (March 21, 1888 – June 24, 1981) was a financier who wielded powerful political influence in Florida for decades. Referred to as "a law unto himself", despite the fact that he never held public office and did not own much of the assets he controlled, he led a forest products company, a railroad and owned newspapers. 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 himself for another 46 years. He founded and led the St. Joe Paper Company to become a major player in several industries in Florida. He was a leader of the pro-segregation, anti-homosexual, and anti-communist Pork Chop Gang, a group of Democratic Party legislators from North Florida.

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