from Oakland Fire Department 3
Nicholas Allegretti Ball (1859 – December 9, 1943) was chief of the Oakland Fire Department from 1898 until his retirement in 1915.
Ball was born in 1859 in San Francisco. His family moved to the Claremont area outside Oakland in 1862, then closer to downtown in 1869, and he attended the Lafayette School and Irving Grammar School.
By 1884, he had joined the Oakland Fire Department, serving at Phoenix Station No. 1 behind city hall. He later served as an assistant chief, and spent some time in the grocery business. In 1898 he became chief of the department. 4
From c.1922, he and his wife Catherine lived at 914 Longridge.
Ball died December 9, 1943 from injuries received when he was struck by a motorcycle at 24th and Telegraph; Catherine died just 10 days later. Ironically, Ball died while fires were raging in the Oakland hills. 1,2
1898 4
Links and References
- Former Chief Dies As Hill Fire Rages Oakland Enquirer December 9, 1943
- Mrs. Ball Taken By Death Oakland Enquirer December 21, 1943
- Oakland Fire Department by Captain Geoffrey Hunter, Arcadia Publishing
- Alameda County: The Eden of the Pacific Tribune Publishing Company 1898
