Joseph H. Ball

About

Maverick Republican senator who represented Minnesota in the legislature from 1940 to 1949. He was known for frequently challenging his own party's policies.

Before Fame

He was covering politics for the St. Paul Dispatch when he was picked, much to everyone's surprise, to fill a newly-vacated Senate seat.

Trivia

He went against his party in voting for the Lend Lease Act in 1942, and for instituting wage and price controls at home; in 1943 he was one of the first Republicans to publicly support the formation of the United Nations.

Family Life

He was born in Crookston, Minnesota.

Associated With

His iconoclastic ways ultimately cost him his seat, as he was defeated by Hubert H. Humphrey in his second term election.