John W. Hall

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = John W. Hall
honorific-suffix =


imagesize =
small

office = Governor of Delaware
term_start = January 21 1879
term_end = January 16 1883
predecessor = John P. Cochran
successor = Charles C. Stockley
birth_date = birth date|1817|1|1|mf=y
birth_place = Frederica, Delaware
death_date = death date and age|1893|1|23|1817|1|1
death_place = Frederica, Delaware
spouse = Caroline Warren
party = Democratic
residence = Frederica, Delaware
alma_mater =
occupation = merchant
profession =
religion = Methodist

John Wood Hall (January 1 1817 – January 23 1893) was an American merchant and politician from Frederica, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware.

Early life and family

Hall was born January 1 1817 in Frederica, Delaware, son of John and Henrietta Bowman Hall. He married Caroline Warren in 1842 and had four children: John Wood, Jr., Samuel Warren, Sarah Henrietta, and Caroline. They lived at 8 David Street in Frederica and were members of the Methodist Church.

Orphaned as a child, Hall worked in a candy store, and eventually saved enough money to buy the business. Not stopping with candy, he expanded into general merchandising and lumber, and then started building his own ships. In time, he had one of the largest fleets of sailing ships on the east coast, all built in Delaware. With his earnings he began buying land and ended up with over 6,000 acres (24 km²) on 20 farms, becoming one of the largest landowners in the state.

Political career

Hall served in the Delaware Senate during the 1867/68 session and the 1869/70 session. In 1874 he was nearly nominated for Governor, but it was New Castle County’s turn in the informal rotation. Finally, in 1878 he was elected Governor of Delaware, overwhelmingly defeating Kensey J. Steward, the Greenback Labor candidate. Leftover bitterness from the Civil War caused the Democratic Party to be so completely in control that the Republican Party did not even hold a convention or field a candidate. Hall served from January 21 1879 until January 16 1883.

The Democratic Party was the conservative party of the day, and accordingly Hall supported conservative positions. He was a strong supporter of states rights in opposition to the increasing reach of the federal government. Then that reach was generally in support of racial equality, a concept strongly opposed by Democrats in Delaware. Hall did support the setting up of a separate state Board of Education, and an office of Insurance Commissioner. All the while he was Governor he was also a Director of the Farmer's Bank, having served from 1861 until he left office in 1883. After several years out of office he returned to the Delaware Senate for the 1891/92 and 1893/94 sessions, serving there until his death.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
"(sessions while Governor)"
-!Year!Assembly!!Senate Majority!Speaker!!House Majority!Speaker
-
1879-1880
80th|
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |Charles J. Harrington|
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |Swithin Chandler
-
1881-1882
81st|
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |Cateby F. Rust|
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |Reynear Williams
-
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Death and legacy

Hall died January 23 1893 in Frederica, Delaware and is buried at Barratt's Chapel, in Frederica.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. Members of the Delaware General Assembly took office the first Tuesday of January. State Senators have a four year term. The Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four year term.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" | Public Offices
-! Office! Type! Location! Elected! Took Office! Left Office! notes
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
State Senator
Legislature
Dover
1866
January 6 1867
January 6 1871|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Governor
Executive
Dover
1878
January 21 1879
January 16 1883|
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
State Senator
Legislature
Dover
1890
January 6 1891
January 6 1895|
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly "service"
-! Dates! Assembly! Chamber! Majority! Governor! Committees! District
-Party shading/Democratic
1867-1868
74th
State Senate
Democratic
Gove Saulsbury|
Kent "at-large"
-Party shading/Democratic
1869-1870
75th
State Senate
Democratic
Gove Saulsbury|
Kent "at-large"
-Party shading/Democratic
1891-1892
86th
State Senate
Democratic
Robert J. Reynolds|
Kent "at-large"
-Party shading/Democratic
1893-1894
87th
State Senate
Democratic
Robert J. Reynolds|
Kent "at-large"
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
-!Year!Office!!Subject!Party!Votes!%!!Opponent!Party!Votes!%
-
1878
Governor|
Party shading/Democratic |John W. Hall
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |10,730
Party shading/Democratic |79%|
Party shading/Independent |Kensey J. Stewart
Party shading/Independent |Greenback Labor
Party shading/Independent |2,835
Party shading/Independent |21%
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

References

*cite book |title = History of the State of Delaware |last= Conrad |first= Henry C. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Wickersham Company |location= Lancaster, Pennsylvania |pages= |year= 1908 |id=
*cite book |title= A History of Delaware Through its Governors |last= Martin |first= Roger A. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= McClafferty Press |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 1984 |id=
*cite book |title= Memoirs of the Senate |last= Martin |first= Roger A. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Roger A. Martin |location= Newark, Delaware |pages= |year= 1995 |id=
*cite book |title = History of Delaware 1609-1888. 2 vols |last = Scharf |first = John Thomas |coauthors = |work = |publisher = L. J. Richards & Co |location = Philadelphia |year = 1888 |id =
*cite book |title= Forgotten Heroes of Delaware |last= Wilson |first= Emerson. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Deltos Publishing Company |location= Cambridge, Massachusetts |pages= |year= 1969 |id=

=

* [http://www.state.de.us/research/Tour/information/Governors/govs-22.shtml Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery] . "Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover"

External links

* [http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=256b224971c81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD John W. Hall at the "Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States"]
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/hall5.html#RKD0JCRU5 John W. Hall at the "Political Graveyard"]
*Find A Grave|id=5094338
* [http://www.russpickett.com/history/delgov3.htm#jhall John W. Hall at "Delaware’s Governors"]

Places with more information

* [http://www.hsd.org/ Historical Society of Delaware] , 505 Market St., Wilmington, Delaware [phone]
* [http://www.lib.udel.edu/ University of Delaware Library] , 181 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware [phone]