John Ball (pioneer)

John Ball was an American educator and a lawyer.^[1] He was the founding father of the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan and served on the first school board.^[2] John was born on November 12, 1794 and died on February 5, 1884 at the age of 89 years old. The John Ball Zoo, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was founded in 1891 and has been open for about 130 years as of April 15, 2025.^[3]