Merlin Gray Hull (December 18, 1870 – May 17, 1953) was an American politician, lawyer, and newspaper publisher who served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. Hull first served as a Republican in the 7th district from 1929 until 1931, after being defeated for re-nomination in 1930. He later served as a Progressive in the 9th district from 1935 until 1946, when he rejoined the Republican party and served as representative until his death in 1953. Born in Farina, Illinois 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 (Wisconsin politician), George Gale, opening in 1854 and closing in 1939. Several religious denominations used th ...

, De Pauw University, and Columbian University (now

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

). He was admitted to the bar in 1894 and commenced practice in Black River Falls. He served as publisher of the ''Jackson County Journal'' from 1904 to 1926 and of the merged ''Banner-Journal'' for the rest of his life. He served as

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

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. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

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 The 74th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 193 ...

. He was elected as a member of the Progressive Party and represented Wisconsin's 9th congressional district. 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 La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

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

Electoral history

Wisconsin assembly (1908–1912)

Wisconsin Secretary of state (1916, 1918)

Wisconsin Governor (1920)

U.S. House, 7th district (1924–1932)

U.S. House, 9th district (1934–1952)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hull, Merlin 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 members of the Wisconsin Legislature 19th-century American lawyers 20th-century American lawyers District attorneys in Wisconsin 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives