Kenneth Keller Hall (February 24, 1918 – July 8, 1999) was a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryla ...

and was previously a United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia (in case citations, S.D. W. Va.) is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ...

Education and career

Born in Greenview,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. He graduated from Scott High School, where he was the captain of the football team. He attended New River State College and

Morris Harvey College The University of Charleston (UC) is a private non-profit university with its main campus in Charleston, West Virginia. The university also has a location in Beckley, West Virginia, known as UC-Beckley. History The school was founded in 1888 ...

."The History of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia"
/ref> He moved to Washington, D.C. and worked a government employee in civil service. He served in the

United States Naval Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Sele ...

during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

era, from 1942 to 1945 and was discharged as a lieutenant. He received a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

West Virginia University College of Law The West Virginia University College of Law is the professional school for the study of law at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. The law school was established in 1878 as the first professional school in the s ...

in 1948, and was in private practice in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, West Virginia from 1948 to 1953, also serving as Mayor of Madison from 1949 to 1952. He was a judge of the West Virginia 25th Judicial Circuit in Madison from 1953 to 1969, returning to private practice there from 1969 to 1970. He was a Hearing Examiner for the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals of the

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government that administers Social Security (United ...

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

, West Virginia from 1970 to 1971.

Federal judicial service

Hall was nominated by President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

on November 22, 1971, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

John A. Field Jr. John A. Field Jr. (March 22, 1910 – December 16, 1995) was a United States federal judge, United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and previously was a United States district judge of the United St ...

He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on December 1, 1971, and received his commission on December 6, 1971. His service was terminated on September 26, 1976, due to elevation to the Fourth Circuit. Hall was nominated by President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

on August 26, 1976, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

He was confirmed by the Senate on September 1, 1976, and received his commission on September 3, 1976. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on February 24, 1998. His service was terminated on July 8, 1999, due to his death in Charleston.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Kenneth Keller 1918 births 1999 deaths People from Madison, West Virginia West Virginia circuit court judges Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia United States district court judges appointed by Richard Nixon 20th-century American judges Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Gerald Ford United States Navy officers West Virginia University alumni 20th-century American lawyers Mayors of places in West Virginia Morris Harvey College alumni United States Navy reservists West Virginia University Institute of Technology alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II