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

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

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

leafhopper A leafhopper is the common name for any species from the family Cicadellidae. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or trees. Their hind legs are modified for jumping, and a ...

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

froghopper The froghoppers, or the superfamily Cercopoidea, are a group of hemipteran insects in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha. Adults are capable of jumping many times their height and length, giving the group their common name, but they are best known ...

s, and other related insects. 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 whic ...

, 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. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

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 ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

and entomology at Iowa State College, and then at

Colorado Agricultural College Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University System. Colorado S ...

. After this he became a professor in the Utah Agricultural College, and commenced graduate work with Herbert Osborn 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, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

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 1920 until 1921. He was employed at the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

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'') is a marshland plant in the family Apiaceae that has been cultivated as a vegetable since antiquity. Celery has a long fibrous stalk tapering into leaves. Depending on location and cultivar, either its stalks, lea ...

. 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 land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

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

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

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, 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 commercial district. I ...

. 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 people Fellows of the Entomological Society of America