Merlin Gray Hull (December 18, 1870 – May 17, 1953) was a lawyer, a newspaper publisher, and a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Born in

Farina, Illinois Farina is a village in Fayette County, Illinois, Fayette and Marion County, Illinois, Marion counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 540 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the only community with the name "Farina" ...

to John and Adelia Hull, Merlin Hull was a graduate of

Gale College Gale College (also Galesville University and Marynook) was a private college in Galesville, Wisconsin. It was founded by George Gale, opening in 1854 and closing in 1939. Several religious denominations used the facilities as a college and later ...

De Pauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...

, and Columbian University (now

The George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...

). He was admitted to the bar in 1894 and commenced practice in Black River Falls. He served as publisher of the ''

Jackson County Journal Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

'' from 1904 to 1926 and of the merged '' Banner-Journal'' for the rest of his life (1926–1953). He served as district attorney of Jackson County from 1907 to 1909; he was a Republican member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms ...

from 1909 to 1915, serving as speaker in the 1913-15 session; he was elected Secretary of State in 1916, serving until 1921. Hull was first elected (as a Republican) to the Seventy-first Congress in 1928. He represented

Wisconsin's 7th congressional district Wisconsin's 7th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northwestern and central Wisconsin; it is the largest congressional district in the state geographically, covering 20 counties (i ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1930 and an unsuccessful independent candidate in 1932. In 1934, Hull was once again elected to the House of Representatives this time as part of the Seventy-fourth Congress. He was elected as a member of the Progressive Party and represented

Wisconsin's 9th congressional district Wisconsin's 9th congressional district was a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin. It was created following the 1870 Census along with the 8th district, and was disbanded after the 2000 Census. Fro ...

. He was reelected to this post for the succeeding nine congresses, as a member of the Progressive Party for the first six and after the disbanding of the Wisconsin Progressive Party, as a Republican to the other four, serving continuously from January 3, 1935, until his death from pulmonary complications following surgery in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census ...

on May 17, 1953.Rep. Merlin Hull, Oldest U.S. Congressman, Is Dead at 82; Sheboygan Press; Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Page 16; May 18, 1953

Congressional election history

References

External links

* 1870 births 1953 deaths Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Warsaw, Indiana Politicians from La Crosse, Wisconsin Secretaries of State of Wisconsin Wisconsin Progressives (1924) Gale College alumni DePauw University alumni George Washington University Law School alumni Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Progressive Party (1924) members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers District attorneys in Wisconsin {{Wisconsin-politician-stub

Congressional election history

See also

References

External links