John Hall (New York politician)
John Hall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 19th district | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Sue Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Nan Hayworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Joseph Hall July 23, 1948 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Johanna Hall
(m. 1971; div. 1985) Pamela Melanie Hall
(m. 2001; div. 2021)Andrea Zonn (m. 2022) |
| Residence | Loyola College in Maryland |
| Occupation | Musician, songwriter |
John Joseph Hall (born July 23, 1948) is an American musician, songwriter, politician, environmentalist, and community activist. He was elected to the legislature of Ulster County, New York, in 1989 and the Saugerties, New York Board of Education in 1991, and he was the U.S. representative for New York's 19th congressional district, serving from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Hall also founded the rock band Orleans in 1972 and continues to perform with them.
Early life and musical career
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Hall was born in
Hall began playing piano at age 4, and later studied French horn in school and taught himself guitar and bass. After changing his concentration to creative writing and performing in numerous musical ensembles, Hall quit college to begin his professional musical career in the clubs in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., and then in Greenwich Village in New York City. In 1967, his group Kangaroo released an album on MGM Records,[1] and Hall also composed music for a Broadway theatre trilogy Morning, Noon and Night. He released his debut solo album, Action in 1970. Since then he has released 7 albums solo or as the John Hall Band.
In late January 1972, he founded
In 1977, Hall left to concentrate on the solo career that had begun with the Action album at the beginning of the decade and became active in the
While living in Saugerties, Hall co-founded two citizens' groups — Saugerties Concerned Citizens and the Winston Farm Alliance. The former worked to close down illegal junkyards operating in the town, and the latter successfully opposed the siting of a giant dump and incinerator on the historic Winston Farm, named after the engineer James Winston, who designed New York City's system of reservoirs and aqueducts. Hall also served one term in the Ulster County Legislature, and was elected twice to the Saugerties Board of Education, where his fellow trustees elected him president.
Hall spent decades writing songs for other artists and reunited with Orleans in 1985, rejoining them intermittently up through 2006. After his divorce from Johanna, he moved to
, where "Gulf Stream Night" was recorded.Orleans released a new CD in 2005, Dancin' in the Moonlight, containing many of Hall's writing collaborations, guitar parts, and vocals, as well as two songs co-written by John and Pamela Melanie Hall.
Hall put his musical career on hold during his time in office, but performed at the concert honoring the 90th birthday of Pete Seeger, supporting the
Political career
He has been involved with Mid-Hudson Nuclear Opponents, who successfully fought the siting of a nuclear power plant on the
In late October 2004, Hall publicly commented that the presidential campaign of George W. Bush had not asked for permission to use the Orleans song "Still the One" at campaign events. His publisher sent a cease and desist letter to the campaign which dropped the song from their playlist. Four years later, Hall expressed similar disapproval when John McCain's presidential campaign also used the song without asking for permission.[3] The song would eventually be used at the 2008 Democratic National Convention following the conclusion of Senator Ted Kennedy’s speech.[4]
During the fall of 2005, Hall's concern about the environment and the Iraq War, and dissatisfaction with
Hall was reelected in 2008 over Republican candidate Kieran Lalor, but he lost in the 2010 election to Nan Hayworth. In July 2011, Hall announced that he would not seek a rematch with Hayworth, citing the prohibitive campaign fund-raising necessary as a result of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC.[citation needed] He said he wanted to spend time with his family and travel across the country with his band. Hayworth served one term before losing reelection in 2012.
Policy positions
Despite representing a historically Republican area, Hall has described himself as a
Prior to the election, Hall expressed interest in drug policy reform, noting that many of his best friends and mentors in the music industry partake in recreational drug use without adverse effects. At
Hall voted for the
Campaigns
2006
Hall ran for Congress in the 19th District in the September 2006
According to an article in the
Hall was interviewed by Comedy Central-based satirist Stephen Colbert on October 19, 2006, for a "Better Know a District" segment of his popular comedy show, The Colbert Report. Stephen Colbert said that he opposes everything that John Hall stands for, but Hall was willing to talk to him; Sue Kelly turned down the opportunity to be interviewed so John Hall picked a "Smear Card" which said "My opponent smokes marijuana". Colbert replied by saying "That's a bold accusation, that someone in the press should investigate or at least look up on because it's out there now; it's out there now that Sue Kelly smokes pot. DEA, check out her house. Look for grow lights. I'm not saying it. He is". As the centerpiece of the interview, Colbert eventually convinced Hall to harmonize with him on the Orleans song "Dance with Me". He made a brief encore appearance on The Colbert Report the day after his election, November 8, joining Colbert in a harmonized rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.
2008
Although the 19th is a historically Republican district, Republicans had trouble recruiting a strong challenger to Hall. Several potential top-tier candidates, such as
Hall drew numerous potential challengers for the
On November 4, 2008, Hall was re-elected to serve the 19th district of New York in the 111th session of the United States Congress. He defeated Republican newcomer Kieran Lalor, taking 59% of the vote.[15] In January 2009, Hall declared his support for Kirsten Gillibrand becoming the junior senator of New York, a seat vacated by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.[16]
2010
Facing a tough re-election, Hall lost to Republican nominee
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic
|
John Hall
|
100,119 | 51.2 | +17.9 | |
Republican
|
Sue W. Kelly (incumbent)
|
95,359 | 48.8 | −17.9 | |
| Majority | 4,760 | 2.4 | −31.1 | ||
| Turnout | 195,478 | −25.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic
|
John Hall (incumbent)
|
164,859 | 58.7 | +7.5 | |
Republican
|
Kieran Lalor | 116,120 | 41.3 | −7.5 | |
| Majority | 48,739 | 17.3 | 14.9 | ||
| Turnout | 280,979 | 43.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican
|
Nan Hayworth | 109,956 | 52.5 | +11.2 | |
Democratic
|
John Hall (incumbent)
|
98,766 | 47.5 | −11.2 | |
| Majority | 11,190 | 5.3 | −12 | ||
| Turnout | 209,285 | −25.5 | |||
Personal life
Hall married his first wife, writer Johanna Hall, who he met while playing at
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details[19] | Chart peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S.[20] | |||
| 1970 | Action
|
- | |
| 1978 | John Hall
|
- | |
| 1979 | Power
|
- | |
| 1981 | All Of The Above
|
158 | |
| 1983 | Searchparty
|
147 | |
| 1992 | On A Distant Star
|
- | |
| 1998 | Recovered
|
- | |
| 1999 | Love Doesn't Ask
|
- | |
| 2005 | Rock Me On The Water
|
- | |
| 2021 | Reclaiming My Time
|
- | |
References
- All Music. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
- ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ "Rep. to McCain: Stop Using My Song!". Firstread.msnbc.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
- ^ "DNC Tribute and Speech by Sen. Edward Kennedy". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
- ^ Nichols, John (November 9, 2006). "The Crowded Progressive Caucus". The Online Beat. The Nation. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ "PDA Candidate John Hall Elected as New Yorkers Vote for Change". Progressive Democrats of America. November 9, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ "Caucus Members & Contact Information". Congressional Progressive Caucus. Archived from the original on 2007-03-28. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 18". U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk. 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 20". U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk. 2007-01-11. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
- ^ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 733". Clerk.house.gov. 2007-07-25. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
- ^ "Hall Statement on the Ongoing Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill". Johnhall.house.gov. 2010-06-07. Archived from the original on 2010-06-08. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- Catskills), September 16, 2006 (retrieved 11/8/06).
- ^ Tumulty, Brian. "Katonah's Saul drops out of 19th Congressional District race"[permanent dead link], Lower Hudson Online, November 21, 2007.
- ^ Elan, Suan. "To run or not to run...". The Journal News. February 15, 2008.
- ^ Mid Hudson News, November 5, 2008
- ^ "Paterson appoints upstate Rep. Gillibrand to Senate seat". recordonline.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
- ^ "NYS Board of Elections Rep. in Congress Election Returns Nov. 4, 2008" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2008.
- ^ "NYS Board of Elections Rep. in Congress Election Returns Nov. 2, 2010" (PDF). Retrieved December 8, 2008.
- ^ "John Joseph Hall". Discogs. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "The John Hall Band". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
External links
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Music Career Interview with John Hall
- John Hall at AllMusic
- John Hall discography at Discogs
- The John Hall Band discography at Discogs
- Appearances on C-SPAN
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