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M. D. Ball

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M. D. Ball
United States Attorney for the
District of Alaska

In office
July 1885 – September 13, 1887
President Grover Cleveland
Preceded by Edward W. Haskett
Succeeded by Whitaker M. Grant
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates for Alexandria City and Alexandria

In office
December 6, 1876 – December 5, 1877
Preceded by William H. Fowle and George L. Simpson
Succeeded by George A. Mushbach
Personal details
Born Mottrom Dulany Ball
(1835-06-23)June 23, 1835
Falls Church, Virginia, U.S.
Died September 13, 1887(1887-09-13) (aged 52)
Sitka, Alaska, U.S.
Resting place Falls Church, Virginia, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Republican
Spouse(s) Sallie Lewis Wright (m. 1860)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • lawyer
  • newspaper publisher
Military service
Allegiance  Confederate States
Service/branch Confederate States Army
Years of service 1861–1865
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
Unit 5th Virginia Cavalry Regiment
11th Virginia Cavalry Regiment
Battles/wars American Civil War

Mottrom Dulany Ball[lower-alpha 1] (June 23, 1835 – September 13, 1887) was an American lawyer, newspaper publisher, Confederate Army officer and collector of customs for the United States Department of the Treasury. From March 27, 1878, to June 13, 1879, he was the highest-ranking federal official in the Department of Alaska, making him the de facto governor of the territory.

Early life[]

Mottrom Dulany Ball[1][2] was born in 1835 at Oak Mount in Falls Church, Fairfax County, Virginia, to Mary (née Dulany) and Spencer Mottrom Ball.[3][4] Ball was educated at Episcopal High School in Alexandria. He graduated from the College of William and Mary with a Bachelor of Arts on July 4, 1854. He was a member of Theta Delta Chi.[4] After serving in the Civil War, he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the College of William and Mary on July 4, 1867.[4]

Career[]

Ball served as lieutenant colonel of the 11th Virginia Cavalry Regiment in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.[3][4]

Ball moved to Alexandria and practiced law with his uncle William Heath Dulany. For a time, he also practiced law in Baltimore.[4] Around 1871, Ball became the editor of the Virginia Sentinel (also called the Standard and Sentinel) of Alexandria for about six years. He was also the owner.[3][5][6][7]

Ball was a Democrat.[6] In 1876, Ball was elected as an Independent, defeating H. W. Freebry, to serve as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing Alexandria and Alexandria County.[8] He later joined the Republican Party.[6] President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Ball as collector of customs for the Territory of Alaska on March 27, 1878. He served in that role officially until June 13, 1879. During this period, he was the highest ranking federal official in Alaska, and de facto governor.[3][4][2] He continued to serve as collector of customs, but was not re-appointed by President James Garfield in July 1881, despite a petition from citizens in Sitka, Alaska.[4]

On September 5, 1881, he won an election to be Alaska's first territorial delegate in the United States House of Representatives, but the United States House Committee on Elections did not recognize the results, and he was not seated.[4][9][10] In November 1885, Ball founded the Alaskan, a newspaper in Sitka. He worked as the paper's first editor.[4]

Ball was confirmed as district attorney of the Territory of Alaska on July 9, 1886, though some sources suggest he started the role in 1885.[7][4][11] He served in that role until his death.[3] He also ran a private law practice while district attorney in Alaska. In August 1887, he became a founding member of the Alaska Bar Association.[4]

Personal life[]

Ball married Sallie Lewis Wright on October 17, 1860.[4] They had nine children,[4] including Sallie L.[12] and Mary.[13]

Ball died on September 13, 1887, in Sitka while traveling from Alaska to Seattle on the steamer Ancon.[3][7][4][14] He was buried in Falls Church.[1][4]

Legacy[]

Mottrom Drive in McLean, Virginia, is named for Ball.[15]

Notes[]

  1. ↑ Also spelled Mottram, Motrom, Mottrone; sources differ greatly

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Colonel Ball's Remains". 1887-09-27. p. 1. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-critic-and-record-colonel-balls-rem/129392703/. open access publication - free to read
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "U.S. States A-D". Ben M. Cahoon. https://www.worldstatesmen.org/US_states_A-D.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Bringing His Body Home". 1887-09-22. p. 4. https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-bringing-his-body-home-22/129392403/. open access publication - free to read
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 "Mottrom Dulany Ball: A Founding Father of Alaska". November–December 2020. https://issuu.com/alaskanhistorymagazine/docs/qtz_20nov-dec_202020_20for_20issuu/s/11243598. 
  5. ↑ "A new daily paper...". 1971-03-03. p. 4. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-progress-index-a-new-daily-paper/129399411/. open access publication - free to read
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "M. D. Ball...". 1887-09-23. p. 2. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-free-lance-star-m-d-ball-23-se/129392830/. open access publication - free to read
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Death of Col. M. D. Ball". 1887-09-20. p. 3. https://www.newspapers.com/article/alexandria-gazette-death-of-col-m-d-b/129400788/. open access publication - free to read
  8. ↑ "Alexandria Elections". 1876-05-30. p. 3. https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-dispatch-alexandria-elections/129399278/. open access publication - free to read
  9. ↑ "The Territory of Alaska". 1881-11-19. p. 3. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-critic-and-record-the-territory-of-a/129400324/. open access publication - free to read
  10. ↑ "From Washington". 1882-01-31. p. 2. https://www.newspapers.com/article/alexandria-gazette-from-washington-31-j/129400481/. open access publication - free to read
  11. ↑ "Nominations and Confirmations". 1886-07-09. p. 1. https://www.newspapers.com/article/evening-star-nominations-and-confirmatio/129400644/. open access publication - free to read
  12. ↑ "Personal". 1889-09-18. p. 3. https://www.newspapers.com/article/alexandria-gazette-personal-18-sep-1889/129400976/. open access publication - free to read
  13. ↑ "A letter received...". 1881-02-19. p. 2. https://www.newspapers.com/article/alexandria-gazette-a-letter-received/129401023/. open access publication - free to read
  14. ↑ "Col. M. D. Ball...". 1887-09-22. p. 2. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-valley-virginian-col-m-d-ball/129393012/. open access publication - free to read
  15. ↑ Barakat, Matthew (August 9, 2021). "Virginia contends with Confederate names on side streets". AP News. https://apnews.com/article/virginia-9206a44094a86f8b212bc9b4aff5fe5b. 

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:M. D. Ball.
  • M. D. Ball Papers. Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
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