George Ball

George Ball arrived in Texas during the cholera epidemic of 1839.  He opened opened a dry goods business in Galveston with his his brother Albert. In 1847 he became a director of the Commercial and Agricultural Bank at Galveston, the first incorporated bank in Texas.  In 1854 he opened the banking house of Ball, Hutchings, and Company.

During the Civil War he aided the Confederate government by getting goods shipped through Mexico. He contributed to many hospitals, asylums, and public schools. On April 19, 1848, he married Sarah Catherine Perry; they were parents of six children. He died in Galveston on March 13, 1884. Ball High School in Galveston is named for him.