Willard Preble Hall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Governor of Missouri | |
| In office January 31, 1864 – January 2, 1865 | |
| Lieutenant | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Hamilton Rowan Gamble |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Clement Fletcher |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's4th district | |
| In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1853 | |
| Preceded by | none |
| Succeeded by | Mordecai Oliver |
| Lieutenant Governor of Missouri | |
| In office 1861–1864 | |
| Governor | Hamilton Rowan Gamble |
| Preceded by | Thomas Caute Reynolds |
| Succeeded by | George Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1820-05-09)May 9, 1820 |
| Died | November 2, 1882(1882-11-02) (aged 62) St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Residence(s) | St. Joseph, Missouri |
| Alma mater | Yale College |
| Profession | lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | First Missouri Cavalry Regiment |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Mexican–American War |
William Willard Preble Hall (May 9, 1820 – November 2, 1882) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the17th Governor ofMissouri from 1864 to 1865 during the last years of theAmerican Civil War.
Hall was born inHarpers Ferry, then inVirginia. He attended a private school inBaltimore, Maryland, and graduated fromYale University in 1839.
He accompanied his father,John H. Hall, toRandolph County, Missouri, in 1840.[1] He studied law and was admitted to the bar atHuntsville in 1841, commencing his law practice inSparta, Buchanan County, Missouri in 1842. He was appointed circuit attorney in 1843 and served for several years. He was a presidential elector on theDemocratic ticket in 1844.
During theMexican–American War, Hall enlisted as a private in the First Missouri Cavalry Regiment and later was promoted tolieutenant. He was appointed byGeneral Kearny, together with Col.Alexander Doniphan, to construct the code of civil laws known as theKearny code in both English and Spanish for the territory annexed from Mexico. In October he accompanied the famousMormon Battalion on its march to California, thereafter he returned to Missouri and assumed his seat in Congress.
Hall was elected as a Democrat to the Thirtieth, Thirty-first, and Thirty-second Congresses, serving from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1853. During his Congressional service he was the chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims (Thirty-first Congress), and of the Committee on Public Lands (Thirty-second Congress).
He moved toSt. Joseph, Missouri in 1854 and continued practicing law. He was an unsuccessful candidate for theUnited States Senate in 1856.
In 1861 Hall was a member of theconstitutional convention, which affirmed the policy of armed neutrality put forth by outgoing governorRobert Marcellus Stewart: that Missouri would remain in the Union but would not send troops or supplies to either side.
GovernorClaiborne Jackson and lieutenant governorThomas C. Reynolds refused the call from PresidentAbraham Lincoln for troops to put down secession, and conspired with theConfederacy.Union GeneralNathaniel Lyon seized the state capital and deposed Jackson. The constitutional convention reconvened, minus pro-Southern delegates, and declared the office of governor and lieutenant governor vacant.
Hamilton Rowan Gamble was named provisional governor and Hall made lieutenant governor.
Hall also became abrigadier general in theMissouri Militia, as formed under Union control. He commanded the northwestern Missouri district until 1863.
Hall succeeded Gamble as governor when Gamble died in 1864.
After leaving his unelected office at the war's end, Hall resumed his law practice in St. Joseph. He died there in 1882 and was buried inMount Mora Cemetery.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by None (new district) | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's 4th congressional district 1847–1853 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Missouri 1861–1864 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Missouri 1864–1865 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
