Ralph Moody Hall (May 3, 1923 – March 7, 2019) was an American politician who served as the United States representative for Texas's 4th congressional district from 1981 to 2015. He was first elected in 1980, and was the chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology from 2011 to 2013. He was also a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. In 2004, he switched to the Republican Party after having been a member of the Democratic Party for more than 50 years.
At the end of his final term in 2015, Hall was 91 years old, making him the oldest serving member of Congress and the oldest person to ever have served in the House of Representatives. He was also the oldest member of the House to cast a vote, and alongside Michigan representative John Dingell, one of the last two World War II veterans serving in Congress, both leaving office at the end of the 113th Congress in 2015.
On March 6, 2014, Hall was challenged in the Republican primary by five other Republicans. He received 45.42% of the vote, which was under 50%, the amount required to avoid a runoff election. In the runoff, Hall faced former U.S. Attorney John Ratcliffe, who finished second in the primary with 28.77% of the vote. On May 27, 2014, Ratcliffe defeated Hall in the runoff election, 53 to 47%.
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Early life, education, and law career
Hall was born in Fate, Texas, and was a lifelong resident of Rockwall County, northeast of Dallas. He graduated from Rockwall High School in 1941. He joined the U.S. Navy on December 10, 1942, serving as an aircraft carrier pilot from 1942 to 1945 during World War II, attaining the rank of lieutenant.
When he was young, Hall pumped gas for a man and woman whom he later identified as the infamous gangsters Bonnie and Clyde.
He attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth during 1943. After the war, he attended the University of Texas (1946–1947), and received a law degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 1951. He was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1951 and maintained a private law practice in Rockwall for many years.
Early political career (1950–1973)
Hall was elected county judge of Rockwall County, Texas, in November 1950. He held that position until 1962.
In 1962, he was elected to the Texas State Senate after incumbent Ray Roberts won a special election to replace Sam Rayburn in Congress. As a state senator, he chaired a variety of committees:
Consumer Protection (1969–1972)
County, District, and Urban Affairs (1969–1972)
Historical and Recreational Sites (1969–1970)
Motion Picture Theater Industry (1969–1970)
Counties, Cities, and Towns (1967–1968)
Local and Uncontested Bills (1967–1968)
Transportation (1965–1966)
In 1972, he ran for lieutenant governor of Texas and lost the Democratic primary, getting only 15% of the vote. Bill Hobby won the primary with a plurality of 33%, and won the general election.
Business (1973–1980)
During this time, Hall became President & CEO of Texas Aluminum Corporation and was the founding member and Chairman of Lakeside National Bank of Rockwall. He also continued to build his law practice with his longtime friend and law partner, Don Stodghill.
Later political career (1980–2015)
Elections
In 1980, incumbent Democratic U.S. congressman Ray Roberts of Texas's 4th congressional district decided to retire. Hall won the Democratic primary with 57% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Republican business manager John Wright, with 52% of the vote, the closest race in the district's history and the lowest winning percentage in a general election in Hall's political career. He was the fourth person to represent the 4th District since its creation in 1903. The district's second congressman, Rayburn, the longtime Speaker of the House, represented the district for 48 years. He has never won re-election in a general election with less than 58% of the vote.
2004
In November 2004, Hall ran for his first full term as a Republican. He got heavy White House backing, from then-President George W. Bush in the three-way GOP primary that year, defeating two opponents. Hall won the primary with 78% of the vote, and the general election with 67% of the vote, defeating Democratic candidate Jim Nickerson and Libertarian Kevin D. Anderson.
2006
Hall defeated Democratic candidate Glenn Melancon and Libertarian candidate Kurt Helm in the 2006 general election with 67% of the vote.
2008
In the general election, Hall again faced Democratic nominee Glenn Melancon and was re-elected with 69% of the vote.
2010
In the Republican primary, Hall won the nomination with 57% of the vote, his worst performance in a primary election since his first election in 1980. It was a six-candidate race, with his closest opponent, Steve Clark, winning 30% of the vote. In the general election, he won re-election with 73% of the vote against Democratic candidate VaLinda Hathcox and two other candidates.
2012
Hall won the Republican primary with 58% of the vote. He won over Democratic candidate VaLinda Hathcox in the general election for the second race in a row, this time by 73 to 24%.
Tenure
Hall described himself as "an old-time conservative Democrat." For many years, he was one of the most conservative Democrats in the House. He was an early supporter of a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget and also favored legislation requiring a super majority on any tax increases. He frequently opposed the Clinton Administration, and voted for three of the four articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton. He endorsed George W. Bush for President in 2000, becoming one of the few Democratic politicians to do so. The two had been friends for years, and Bush later endorsed Hall in his re-election.
While Hall was very conservative even by Texas Democratic standards, his conservatism can be attributed to the demographics of the 4th District. It had once been reliably Democratic, but became increasingly friendly to Republicans as Dallas' suburban growth spilled into the western portion of the district; indeed, the district included a small portion of Dallas itself. The 4th has not supported the Democratic nominee for president since 1964. Despite this district's increasingly Republican tilt, Hall won 10 more terms as a Democrat with an average of 60% of the vote. In 1994, for instance, he was re-elected by a 19-point margin, even as other conservative Democratic congressmen lost their seats. By the turn of the century, he was the only elected Democratic official above the county level in what had become one of the most conservative districts in Texas.
Like many in the Democratic Party, he voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement. In 1999, he was one of six Democratic congressmen who supported a Republican tax cut plan. He has been an original co-sponsor of bills to repeal the estate tax and the marriage tax.
In late 2002, he voted for the resolution allowing the use of force in Iraq. In March 2003, he voted for a budget that included Bush's 10-year, $726 billion tax cut plan. The plan passed the House 215–212.
2004 party switch
Hall was frequently urged to switch parties, especially after the Republicans took control of the House in 1995. Even as Democrats with far less conservative voting records than Hall's, such as Greg Laughlin, Jimmy Hayes, Billy Tauzin, and Nathan Deal, all switched parties, he insisted that he would remain a Democrat as long as it did not hurt his constituents. He said that he had an obligation to "pull my party back toward the middle." He was one of the co-founders of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and conservative Democratic congressmen.
Committee assignments
Committee on Science and Technology (Chair Emeritus)
Subcommittee on Energy
Subcommittee on Space
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Environment and Economy
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Caucus memberships
International Conservation Caucus
Republican Study Committee
Tea Party Caucus
Personal life
Hall married the former Mary Ellen Murphy on November 14, 1944, while he was serving in the United States Navy in Pensacola, Florida. They had three sons, Hampton, Brett, and Blakeley, and (as of 2013) had five grandchildren. She died on August 27, 2008.
In January 2004, regarding his switch of party, Hall said "I talked with some of my family. Some agreed, some did not. My wife didn't agree. She'd rather I quit than switch parties."
Hall died of natural causes on March 7, 2019, in Rockwall, Texas, at the age of 95.
Electoral history
Texas's 4th congressional district:
Source: "Office of the House Clerk – Electoral Statistics". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
Source: "Election Results". Federal Election Commission.