George Ball (American businessman)


George Carl Ball Jr. is an American seedsman who has served as chairman of W. Atlee Burpee Company since 1991.
After studying at Bard College and DePaul University, he joined Ball Seed in the late 1970s. He later worked as a marketing executive at Pan American Seed, where he was named president in 1984. When the opportunity presented itself, George Ball acquired Burpee, and took on the roles of Burpee's CEO and Chairman.
George Ball is currently Chairman of the Board of the Burpee Foundation and a trustee of the Horticultural Society of New York. From 1990 to 1993, he served as the president of the American Horticultural Society—the youngest in the organization's history. George Ball has served as a trustee on numerous boards, including Bard College, The Orme School, and The National Gardening Association. He was President of his family foundation for two years.
George Ball also participated in numerous seed relief efforts. In February 2004, he contributed to what can be categorized as the largest vegetable seed relief shipment in history involving aid to farmers in Iraq—in collaboration with the Coalition Partnership Authority and United States Department of Defense.
George Ball's awards include the Wilfred Jung Distinguished Service Award from the Garden Writers Association of America, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Horticulture Society of New York, the President's Medal of Appreciation from the American Horticultural Society, and the "Design 100" from Metropolitan Home magazine.
In 2016, George Ball was awarded the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa from Delaware Valley University in recognition of his outstanding professional accomplishments and community outreach.
George Ball is a prolific financial contributor to the Republican Party and its candidates, including a number who are widely viewed to be far-right such as Joe Kent and Lauren Boebert.
In 2023, Mr. Ball was awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from his alma mater, Bard College—"His ability to see beyond what others might see makes George Ball a visionary who continues to nurture innovation in the horticultural world."
George Ball's opinion articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Francisco Chronicle, and many other newspapers.

Published works

The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) March 23, 2024Quad-City Times December 31, 2023The Sacramento Bee September 7, 2023The Roanoke Times March 21, 2023 The Wall Street Journal January 3, 2022 The Spokesman Review June 19, 2021The Morning Call March 20, 2021The Spokesman Review January 3, 2021The Morning Call December 15, 2020The Fayetteville Observer August 14, 2020The Spokesman Review June 20, 2020St. Louis Post-Dispatch July 3, 2019Casper Star Tribune May 3, 2019The Fresno Bee March 18, 2019Bakersfield Californian December 25, 2018The Cedar Rapids Gazette September 16, 2018Casper Star Tribune July 24, 2018Omaha World-Herald June 20, 2018Casper Star Tribune March 20, 2018The Desert Sun, February 15, 2018The Wall Street Journal December 21, 2017The Wall Street Journal November 6, 2017The Reading Eagle August 30, 2017The Philadelphia Inquirer July 21, 2017The Desert Sun, May 24, 2017The Chicago Tribune, January 31, 2017 The Washington Post, January 7, 2017The Wall Street Journal, December 26, 2016Omaha World-Herald, July 4, 2016Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 6, 2015

Quoted stories

The Wall Street Journal March 12, 2021The Philadelphia Inquirer February 12, 2021The Philadelphia Inquirer July 19, 2020Huffington Post May 19, 2020High Plains Journal May 2, 2020House Beautiful April 28, 2020The Associated Press April 16, 2020CBS News April 14, 2020Portland Press Herald April 6, 2020The Morning Call April 15, 2020WHYY March 26, 2020 The Associated Press December 10, 2019The Morning Call July 6, 2018Delaware Valley University March 12, 2018The Morning Call February 16, 2018The Sacramento Bee January 5, 2018The Associated Press December 26, 2017The Morning Call October 25, 2017The Washington Post July 18, 2017Spiegel July 7, 2017The New York Times July 2, 2017The Providence Journal June 1, 2017The Columbus Dispatch May 28, 2017The Dallas Morning News May 4, 2017The Sacramento Bee March 31, 2017The New York Times February 27, 2017The Washington Times October 5, 2016Cleveland Plain Dealer September 15, 2016Chicago Tribune May 24, 2016The Sacramento Bee February 17, 2016The Sacramento Bee January 29, 2016The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier April 12, 2015Associated Press December 30, 2013The Philadelphia Inquirer September 12, 2011Milwaukee Journal Sentinel January 25, 2011Milwaukee Journal Sentinel January 25, 2011Houston Chronicle January 21, 2011USA Today June 14, 2010The Philadelphia Inquirer April 29, 2010The Wall Street Journal April 21, 2010USA Today April 13, 2009