Siddhesh Joshi (Editor)

David Hall (Oklahoma governor)

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Lieutenant
  
George Nigh

Profession
  
lawyer and politician

Succeeded by
  
David L. Boren

Spouse(s)
  
Jo Evans Hall

Party
  
Democratic Party

Political party
  
Democratic

Name
  
David Hall

Preceded by
  
Dewey F. Bartlett

Religion
  
Presbyterian


David Hall (Oklahoma governor) d1fi48u691x62icloudfrontnetwpcontentuploads2

Born
  
October 20, 1930 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (
1930-10-20
)

Role
  
Former Governor of Oklahoma

Previous office
  
Governor of Oklahoma (1971–1975)

Residence
  
La Jolla, San Diego, California, United States

Books
  
Twisted Justice: A Memoir of Conspiracy and Personal Politics

Education
  
University of Oklahoma, University of Tulsa

David Hall (October 20, 1930 – May 6, 2016) was an American Democratic politician, He served as the 20th Governor of Oklahoma from January 11, 1971 to January 13, 1975. Prior to winning election as governor, Hall served as county attorney for Tulsa County and a law professor at the University of Tulsa.

Contents

David Hall (Oklahoma governor) httpscdn2newsokbizcacher96066357c276e35d11

After leaving office, Hall was convicted of bribery and extortion. He became the first Oklahoma governor to be convicted of criminal acts committed during his tenure. He served 19 months of a three-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Safford.

Early life

David Hall was born in Oklahoma City, and was the son of William A. "Red" Hall. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Oklahoma in 1952; he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. Upon graduation from college, he joined the United States Air Force serving until 1954 and then joined the Reserves. In 1959, he earned a law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law. From 1959 to 1962, he served as assistant county attorney for Tulsa County, and was county attorney from 1962 through 1966. From 1968 to 1971, he served as a law professor at the University of Tulsa.

Governor of Oklahoma

In 1966, Hall finished a close third in the Democratic primary for governor. Four years later, he defeated incumbent Republican Governor Dewey F. Bartlett in the closest gubernatorial election in state history, and took office only after a recount confirmed his victory. As governor, he championed education and transportation issues. His administration issued a landmark educational public policy analysis book of Oklahoma's education system entitled "Measuring up and Moving On." Hall and his appointees to the state highway commission and turnpike authority were committed to expanding the state's roads. During his term as governor, the state drastically expanded the vocational technical (later renamed career-tech) system of facilities offering low or no cost training certificates for residents. As governor, he signed into law the Oklahoma Income Tax Act, which enacted Oklahoma's income tax code.

Hall's administration and policy initiatives were opposed and attacked on a regular basis by the state's largest newspaper, the Daily Oklahoman, and its powerful publisher, billionaire Edward Gaylord. Gaylord had supported Hall's opponent, former Governor Bartlett.

Unsuccessful re-election bid

Hall was unsuccessful in his quest for re-election in 1974. He obtained only 27 percent of the vote, a third-place finish in the Democratic primary. He trailed U.S. Congressman Clem McSpadden and State Representative and Oklahoma Baptist University professor David L. Boren, who eventually won the nomination and the general election over the Republican Jim Inhofe. Coincidentally, Inhofe succeeded Boren in the United States Senate in 1994 and still holds the seat.

Charges and retirement

Three days after leaving office in 1975, Hall was indicted on federal racketeering and extortion charges, in a conspiracy involving Hall and Secretary of State John Rogers willfully steering State of Oklahoma employee retiree funds to investment funds controlled by Dallas, Texas, businessman W. W. "Doc" Taylor. At Hall's trial, Rogers testified that he became an informant after Hall offered him a bribe. Hall was convicted of bribery and extortion, and became the first Oklahoma Governor to be convicted of criminal acts committed during his tenure. After exhausting all appeals, he served 19 months of a three-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Safford. (John Ehrlichman, of Watergate fame, was also housed at the same time at Safford.) Upon his release from prison in 1978, he was disbarred by the Oklahoma Bar Association, which effectively prevented him from practicing law in Oklahoma. Leaving the public spotlight, he moved to La Jolla, California, where he worked in real estate and other ventures.

Return to Oklahoma

On February 13, 2007, Hall made his first appearance in the State of Oklahoma since he left office over thirty years before. He appeared at the Oklahoma History Center to help launch a new exhibit that features all of the Governors of the State of Oklahoma. Hall remarked that it was "like coming back to heaven." He authored a memoir, 2012's Twisted Justice: A Memoir of Conspiracies and Personal Politics which features his recollections of his time in office, and his reflections on his prison sentence and subsequent career.

Death

Hall died at a San Diego area hospital on May 6, 2016. He had earlier been implanted with a pacemaker and had expected to be discharged, but then developed a blood clot that ultimately went to his brain and caused a fatal stroke. He was 85.

References

David Hall (Oklahoma governor) Wikipedia