User:Animalparty/William Hosea Ballou

William Hosea Ballou (September 30, 1857 – November 30, 1937) was an American writer, journalist, and naturalist, known for promoting the views of Edward Drinker Cope during the "Bone Wars" of the 1880s and 90s. Contemporary biographies in directories such as Who's Who and The New International Encyclopedia list a variety of acheivements, but many of his academic credentials and even biographic details are unverified or false.

Contemporary biographies list Ballou's birth place as Hannibal, New York (or simply Oswego County, New York), the son of Ransom and Mary Abigail Ballou (née Green). According to these entries, between 1877 and 1881 he studied at Northwestern University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Ballou's entry in Who's Who in New York City and State (1904) reads: "Author and journalist; born Hannibal, Oswego County, N. Y., Sept. 30, 1857; son of Ransom R. and Mary Abigail (Green) Ballou; grand nephew of Hosea Ballou, first principal founder of the Universalist Church; studied at Mexico (N. Y.) Academy, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., 1877-81; University of Pennsylvania, 1896; recorder United States Lake Survey, 1875-77; assistant engineer, United States Yellowstone River Survey, 1878; recorder, United States Scientific Survey of Niagara Falls, 1876; assistant literary editor, Chicago Tribune, 1877-8; commissioner on several important missions; contributor to Harper's periodicals from 1882 to date; contributor North American Review... a vice-president, American Humane Association, 1892-95; conducted successfully crusade against cruelty to animals at sea; a founder and director-secretary, Westchester Free Hospital, 1892-95; vice-president, New York & Westchester Water Company, 1891-98; president Pocantico Waterworks Company, 1893-96; director of other corporations, 1891-98; secretary, Greater New York Publishing Company, and editor New York Dispatch, 1895-98; delegate of Davenport Academy of Sciences (Iowa); honorary commissioner, United States Department of Agriculture; representative American Museum Natural History and of Popular Science Monthly to the Seventh International Geological Congress at St. Petersburg, 1897; ... Science News editor, American Naturalist, 1886. Author, A Ride on a Cyclone, 1889; The Bachelor Girl, 1890; The Upper Ten, 1891; An Automatic Wife, 1897; Spectacular Romances, 1892; other fiction and over 3,000 articles and over 300 poems in over 500 different periodicals; donor of large collections of natural history to Northwestern University Museum... at present contributor of illustrated articles to sixty American and foreign publishing houses, including illustrated weeklies, page articles in Sunday magazines of New York dailies, and correspondent of the leading London illustrated weeklies...."

By 1913, Ballou's biographical entries mentioned an honorary Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree from Fort Worth University, Texas, awarded in 1911, and later entries include an honorary Doctor of Letters (Litt.D) from the Chicago Law School (1920) and Legum Doctor (LL.D) from College of Oskaloosa, Iowa (1921). Regarding the first honorary degree, Shor notes that Fort Worth University is no longer in existence. Regarding the second, Shor found that no honorary degree was granted to Ballou from the University of Chicago Law School, nor the Chicago-Kent College of Law, although a distinct institution entity called Chicago Law School was in existence during the 1920s. Regarding the last accolade, Oskalossa College is a defunct college and forerunner to Drake University. The only college currently in Oskaloosa is William Penn University. Searches of honorary degree holders from both institutions failed to find any reference to Ballou.

He worked for the United States Lake Survey (1875-77) and United States Scientific Survey of Niagara Falls, 1876; and was an assistant engineer on the United States Yellowstone River Survey, 1878.

From 1892 to 1895 he is listed as vice-president of American Humane Association. He is listed as vice-president of New York & Westchester Water Company (1891-1898), president of Pocantico Waterworks Company (1893-1896)

His novels include A Ride on a Cyclone (1889), The Bachelor Girl (1890), The Upper Ten (1891) An Automatic Wife (1891) and Spectacular Romances  (1892).

He collected mushrooms of New England, and is commemorated in the name of the mushrooms Russula balloui and Echinodontium ballouii.