Tony P. Hall
Encyclopedia
Tony Patrick Hall is an American politician who served as a Democrat
from Ohio
in the U.S. House of Representatives
for more than 20 years.
He then served from around 2002 to 2006 as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
and as chief of the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome
, which includes the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme
, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development
. Subsequently, Hall worked on a Middle East peace initiative in collaboration with the Center for the Study of the Presidency
.
mayor of Dayton, Ohio
.
Hall graduated from Fairmont High School
in Kettering, Ohio
in 1960. He received a bachelors degree from Denison University
(Granville, Ohio
) in 1964. While in college, Hall was named Little All-American football tailback and the Ohio Conference
's Most Valuable Player (1963).
After college, Hall served as Peace Corps
Volunteer in Thailand
teaching English in 1966–1967, an experience that contributed to his strong interest in world hunger issues. Hall then worked as a real estate agent.
Hall and his wife, Janet Sue Dick, were married in 1973. (Their son Matt died in 1996 at age 15 of leukemia.) Hall's brother Sam was a state legislator.
from 1969 to 1973 and as an Ohio state senator from 1973 to 1979.
In 1974, Hall ran for Ohio Secretary of State
and lost to Republican
incumbent Ted W. Brown
.
, a moderate Republican. In the 1980s, Hall became a born-again Christian and changed his position on abortion from pro-choice
to pro-life
. Hall served in Congress for 24 years, longer than any previous U.S. representative representing Dayton's district.
During his tenure in Congress, Hall's primary focus was addressing world hunger. He made frequent trips to more than 100 countries such as Sierra Leone
where hunger was widespread. He was chairman of the Select Committee on Hunger from 1989 to 1993. When the committee was abolished, Hall fasted for 22 days in protest. Hall was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was founder of the Congressional Friends of Human Rights Monitors and the Congressional Hunger Center. Hall served terms on the foreign affairs and small business committees before being appointed to the House Rules Committee in 1981.
Twice during his tenure as U.S. representative, Hall introduced legislation that would have apologized for slavery.
Hall was an Ohio delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention
.
nominated him to succeed George McGovern
as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
. Hall's confirmation to the post was held up for several months but he was confirmed and sworn into the post by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell
in September 2002.
He then served in this position from around 2002 to 2006, which constituted being chief of the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome
, which includes the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme
, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development
.
In March, 2007 Hall announced he was committed to fostering a Middle East peace initiative, by working with the Center for the Study of the Presidency
to work with the religious leaders of the Holy Land, principally amongst Muslims, Christians and Jews in the Middle East. Under a $1 million grant from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
via the U.S. Agency for International Development that will be split evenly between an economics-based effort and a faith-based effort, Hall will work with religious leaders to help prepare the way for peace in the Middle East. Hall would receive no salary for his work.
On September 19, 2008, Hall endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President.
He currently serves as the Director for The Alliance to End Hunger.
Hall serves on the Board of Advisors of Opportunity International, a charity that seeks to end poverty through microcredit lending to entrepreneurs.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in the U.S. House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for more than 20 years.
He then served from around 2002 to 2006 as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture is the head of the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome and thus is the United States ambassador to the three United Nations agencies for food and agriculture located in Rome, Italy: the Food and...
and as chief of the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome
United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome
The United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome serves as a link between the Rome-based international organizations and the U.S. government. With staff representing the Departments of State, Agriculture, and the Agency for International Development, the U.S...
, which includes the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development
International Fund for Agricultural Development
The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
. Subsequently, Hall worked on a Middle East peace initiative in collaboration with the Center for the Study of the Presidency
Center for the Study of the Presidency
The Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress is a non-profit, non-partisan policy and education organization located in Washington, D.C...
.
Early life and education, marriage and family
Hall's father, Dave Hall, was a RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
mayor of Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
.
Hall graduated from Fairmont High School
Fairmont High School (Ohio)
Kettering Fairmont High School is located in Kettering, Ohio, United States. It is the only public high school in the Kettering City School District and is home to approximately 2,500 students, making it the 9th largest high school in Ohio.-History:...
in Kettering, Ohio
Kettering, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 57,502 people, 25,657 households, and 15,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,077.4 people per square mile . There were 26,936 housing units at an average density of 1,441.6 per square mile...
in 1960. He received a bachelors degree from Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
(Granville, Ohio
Granville, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,167 people, 1,309 households, and 888 families residing in the village. The population density was 790.4 people per square mile . There were 1,384 housing units at an average density of 345.4 per square mile...
) in 1964. While in college, Hall was named Little All-American football tailback and the Ohio Conference
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
's Most Valuable Player (1963).
After college, Hall served as Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
Volunteer in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
teaching English in 1966–1967, an experience that contributed to his strong interest in world hunger issues. Hall then worked as a real estate agent.
Hall and his wife, Janet Sue Dick, were married in 1973. (Their son Matt died in 1996 at age 15 of leukemia.) Hall's brother Sam was a state legislator.
Ohio state legislator
Hall served as a member of the Ohio House of RepresentativesOhio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate....
from 1969 to 1973 and as an Ohio state senator from 1973 to 1979.
In 1974, Hall ran for Ohio Secretary of State
Ohio Secretary of State
The Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing elections in the State of Ohio. The Secretary of State also is responsible for registering business entities and granting them the authority to do business within the state, registering secured transactions, and granting access to public...
and lost to Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
incumbent Ted W. Brown
Ted W. Brown
Ted W. Brown was an American politician of the Ohio Republican party and long-time Ohio Secretary of State.First elected in 1950, he was re-elected eight times. In 1970, Brown defeated Ohio Democrat John F. Kennedy. In 1974, Brown won re-election by defeating Democrat Tony P. Hall. In 1978, Brown...
.
U.S. Representative
Hall was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1978, to succeed Rep. Charles W. Whalen, Jr.Charles W. Whalen, Jr.
Charles William Whalen Jr. was a Republican U.S. Representative from Ohio's 3rd congressional district. He served 6 terms in congress and was notably the leader of the Republican party's opposition to the Vietnam War....
, a moderate Republican. In the 1980s, Hall became a born-again Christian and changed his position on abortion from pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
to pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
. Hall served in Congress for 24 years, longer than any previous U.S. representative representing Dayton's district.
During his tenure in Congress, Hall's primary focus was addressing world hunger. He made frequent trips to more than 100 countries such as Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
where hunger was widespread. He was chairman of the Select Committee on Hunger from 1989 to 1993. When the committee was abolished, Hall fasted for 22 days in protest. Hall was nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. He was founder of the Congressional Friends of Human Rights Monitors and the Congressional Hunger Center. Hall served terms on the foreign affairs and small business committees before being appointed to the House Rules Committee in 1981.
Twice during his tenure as U.S. representative, Hall introduced legislation that would have apologized for slavery.
Hall was an Ohio delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention
2000 Democratic National Convention
The 2000 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention for the Democratic Party. The convention nominated Vice President Al Gore as its candidate for President and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman as its candidate for Vice President. The convention was held at...
.
U.S. Ambassador
Hall served in the House into 2002, when President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
nominated him to succeed George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
as United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture
The United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture is the head of the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome and thus is the United States ambassador to the three United Nations agencies for food and agriculture located in Rome, Italy: the Food and...
. Hall's confirmation to the post was held up for several months but he was confirmed and sworn into the post by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
in September 2002.
He then served in this position from around 2002 to 2006, which constituted being chief of the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome
United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome
The United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome serves as a link between the Rome-based international organizations and the U.S. government. With staff representing the Departments of State, Agriculture, and the Agency for International Development, the U.S...
, which includes the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Food Programme
World Food Programme
The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...
, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development
International Fund for Agricultural Development
The International Fund for Agricultural Development , a specialized agency of the United Nations, was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference. IFAD is dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries...
.
Later activities
Hall authored a 2007 book, with Tom Price, called Changing the Face of Hunger: One Man's Story of How Liberals, Conservatives, Democrats, Republicans, and People of Faith Are Joining Forces to Help the Hungry, the Poor, and the Oppressed.In March, 2007 Hall announced he was committed to fostering a Middle East peace initiative, by working with the Center for the Study of the Presidency
Center for the Study of the Presidency
The Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress is a non-profit, non-partisan policy and education organization located in Washington, D.C...
to work with the religious leaders of the Holy Land, principally amongst Muslims, Christians and Jews in the Middle East. Under a $1 million grant from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
via the U.S. Agency for International Development that will be split evenly between an economics-based effort and a faith-based effort, Hall will work with religious leaders to help prepare the way for peace in the Middle East. Hall would receive no salary for his work.
On September 19, 2008, Hall endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President.
He currently serves as the Director for The Alliance to End Hunger.
Hall serves on the Board of Advisors of Opportunity International, a charity that seeks to end poverty through microcredit lending to entrepreneurs.
See also
- List of United States political appointments that crossed party lines
- Election Results, U.S. Representative from Ohio, 3rd District
- List of United States Representatives from Ohio