Ralph Hall

Ralph Moody Hall ( May 3, 1923 in Fate, Rockwall County, Texas ) is an American politician of the Democratic Party and the Republican Party since 2004 and since 1981 member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas.

Biography

After visiting the Rockwall High School, he studied first at Texas Christian University ( TCU). In the meantime he made from 1942 to 1945 his military service in the U.S. Navy. Then he studied from 1946 to 1947 at the University of Texas at Austin and subsequently law at Southern Methodist University (SMU ) and finished this study in 1951 with a Bachelor of Laws ( LL.B. ). Even before graduating, he became in 1950 judge of the District Court of the Rockwall County and held this position until 1962.

His political career began in 1962 with the election of a member of the Senate of Texas (Texas State Senate ), where he served as a representative of the Democrats until 1972. He then worked as a lawyer and as a businessman.

In 1980 he was first elected as a Democratic candidate for member of the U.S. House of Representatives and represents there after fourteen re- elections since the January 3, 1981 the 4th Congressional District of Texas. On 5 January 2004, he switched from the Democratic to the Republican Party and has since become their representative in the House of Representatives. Currently, Hall is not just ranking the highest member of the Republican minority fraction ( Ranking Minority Member), and thus Leader of the Opposition in the Committee on Science and Technology ( Committee on Science and Technology ), but also a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce ( Committee on Energy and Commerce ).

He is currently the oldest member of the House and the congress.