Thomas Henry Ball

Ball, who was born in Huntsville on Jan. 14, 1859, was not a resident of Tom Ball.

"He was living in Huntsville," Alexander said. "There was not a lot of growth and activity in the Tomball area. He was always interested in promoting that."

Ball was elected to the U.S. Congress from the first District of Texas in 1896 and served in his position until 1903. He acquired the title, "Father of the Port of Houston," for his work developing the Buffalo Bayou, the second largest port in the U.S. and one of the most widely used inland waterways in the world. The ship channel was completed in 1914.

"He played a part in having the area dug out so that ships could come up closer to the town of Houston," Alexander said. "He was quite busy with various endeavors."

In 1914, Ball ran for Texas governor as a strong prohibition supporter. He lost in part because his opponent hired people to take photos of saloons in Tom Ball and distribute them to the public. People began to associate the saloons in Tom Ball with Ball himself, and he ended up losing the election.

Ball later said he might have been governor of Texas if the town was not named after him.

Ball married Minnie Fisher Thomason of Huntsville in 1882 and the two raised six children, three biological and three adopted. Minnie Ball served as director of the Faith Orphan Home for many years in the early 1900s.

From 1884 to 1896, Ball served as chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee of Walker County and was a delegate to most of the state democratic conventions from 1886 to 1924.

He was elected to the National Democratic Convention in New York City in 1924.

Ball is buried at Forest Park, Houston. His only relative to still live in Tomball is his great niece, Nevaire Gambrell Richardson. Ball's grandson, David Jr., is a Houston lawyer.