Elmer Darwin Ball (September 21, 1870 – October 5, 1943) was an American

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

. Ball is known for his contributions to the knowledge of the

leafhopper Leafhopper is the common name for any species from the family (biology), family Cicadellidae: based on the type genus ''Cicadella''. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or ...

treehopper Treehoppers (more precisely typical treehoppers to distinguish them from the Aetalionidae) and thorn bugs are members of the family Membracidae, a group of insects related to the cicadas and the leafhoppers. About 3,200 species of treehoppers i ...

froghopper The superfamily Cercopoidea, some members of which are called froghoppers and still others known as spittlebugs, are a group of hemipteran insects in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha. Adults are capable of jumping many times their height and length, ...

s, and other related insects. He was Assistant Secretary of Agriculture from 1920 to 1921.

Biography

Born in

Athens, Vermont Athens ( or ) is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 380 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.1 square miles (33.9 km2), of whi ...

, his family moved to Iowa shortly after, where Ball received his early education. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from

Iowa State College Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

in 1895 and 1898, respectively. Ball married Mildred R. Norvell in 1899. After a brief stint as a school teacher and then assistant principal of Albion Seminary, he began teaching

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

and entomology at Iowa State College, and then at

Colorado Agricultural College Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a public land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. It was founded in 1870 as Colorado Agr ...

. After this he became a professor in the

Utah Agricultural College Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...

, and commenced graduate work with

Herbert Osborn Herbert Osborn (March 19, 1856-September 20, 1954) was an American entomologist. Biography He was born in Lafayette, Walworth County, Wisconsin. He held various posts at Iowa State College, eventually becoming head of the Department of Zoology a ...

as his mentor. Specializing in the biology of leafhoppers and related taxa, he received his Ph.D. from

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

in 1907. That same year he became the dean of the Utah Agricultural College. In 1908, Ball became a Fellow of the

Entomological Society of America The Entomological Society of America (ESA) was founded in 1889 and today has more than 7,000 members, including educators, extension personnel, consultants, students, researchers, and scientists from agricultural departments, health agencies, ...

. In 1916, Ball became the state entomologist of Wisconsin for two years before returning to serve as the head of the department of zoology and entomology at Iowa State. Ball went on leave from Iowa State to serve as Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for two years, from June 12, 1920, to September 30, 1921. He was employed at the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production ...

from 1921 to 1925 as the scientific research director. Following this, he worked for the Florida State Plant Board, where he researched insect pathogens of

celery Celery (''Apium graveolens'' Dulce Group or ''Apium graveolens'' var. ''dulce'') is a cultivated plant belonging to the species ''Apium graveolens'' in the family Apiaceae that has been used as a vegetable since ancient times. The original wild ...

. In 1928, he was appointed dean of the College of Agriculture and director of the Agricultural Experiment Station at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

, where he worked until illness prevented him from doing so. After suffering a

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...

in February, 1938, he went on extended leave. After five year of illness, Ball died on October 5, 1943, in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

. His papers are held in the collection of the

Smithsonian Institution Archives Smithsonian Libraries and Archives is an institutional archives and library system comprising 21 branch libraries serving the various Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers. The Libraries and Archives serve Smithsonian Institution ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Elmer Darwin 1870 births 1943 deaths People from Athens, Vermont American entomologists Ohio State University alumni Iowa State University alumni United States Department of Agriculture officials Fellows of the Entomological Society of America