Claude Hall
Encyclopedia
Claude Hampton Hall, Sr. (September 29, 1922–April 3, 2001), was an historian
of primarily American
diplomacy
who spent his entire academic career at Texas A&M University
in College Station
, Texas
. In 1963, he published the definitive biography
of former United States Secretary of State
Abel Parker Upshur
.
minister and a barber
, and the former Josephine Wood (1897–1991) in Proffit
, an unincorporated community near Charlottesville
in Albemarle County
in north central Virginia. He graduated from public schools in 1939 and enrolled at the nearby University of Virginia
. His education was interrupted from 1942–1945, when he fought in North Africa and Italy
with the United States Army
during World War II
. After the war, he received his Bachelor of Arts
(1947), Master of Arts
(1949), and Ph.D.
(1954), all from the University of Virginia.
Hall settled in Bryan
, Texas, in 1951, when he was appointed to the TAMU faculty at a time when the institution was still all-male. He was elevated to full professor in 1964 and professor emeritus upon his retirement in 1986. In 1958, he became the first professor in the liberal arts
at TAMU to receive the Association of Former Students "Distinguished Teaching Award". He was a past president of Phi Kappa Phi
and was affiliated with the TAMU Century Club, the American Historical Association
, the Southern Historical Association
, the Virginia Historical Society
, the Organization of American Historians
, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations
, the Texas State Historical Association
, and the East Texas Historical Association
at Stephen F. Austin State University
in Nacogdoches
, Texas, of which he served as the fifteenth president from 1976-1977. He was a member of the large Central Baptist Church of Bryan, where he taught the men's Sunday school
class until his health failed.
In retirement, Hall was a large donor to the Republican Party
.
, Wisconsin
. No longer in print, it is the first and only full-scale study of Upshur, who served as secretary of the navy
before he was moved to the State Department by U.S. President John Tyler
, also of Virginia. Abel Parker Upshur is replete with notations which contain material either related or tangential to the text as well as the compilation of sources, including manuscripts and historical documents. Upshur was working on the annexation of the Republic of Texas
to the United States at the time of his accidental death aboard the Princeton. A native of the Eastern Shore of Virginia
and originally a Federalist
, Upshur believed that he was near procuring a two-thirds Senate
majority for a treaty
of annexation. He viewed the annexation of Texas as a vehicle by which to strengthen the pro-slavery forces. On his death, President Tyler called John C. Calhoun
from the Senate, representing South Carolina
, as secretary of state to complete the annexation process. Texas joined the union of staes in 1845 not by a treaty but through a joint resolution
, approved by a one-vote margin of both houses of the United States Congress
.
Reviewer Charles M. Wiltse in 1964 described Hall's work as "balanced, well written and on the whole a satisfying biography despite occasional passages in which he feels called upon to extenuate Upshur's ultra-conservative pro-slavery views ..." Another reviewer, Robert Seager, noted that Upshur has been described as the "Calhoun of Virginia". Seager determined that Hall had "shown indefatigable energy in searching out and bringing together in one volume the badly scattered bits and pieces of Upshur data."
In 1961, Hall published a related article "Abel P. Upshur and the Navy as an Instrument of Foreign Policy" in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, sponsored by the Virginia Historical Society. Hall concluded that Upshur, who supported the principle of secession
had "gained a deserved national reputation as a reformer, had awakened the public from its long lethargy regarding its navy, and had been recognized as an extremely able administrator." Hall also published a second article on Upshur: "Abel Parker Upshur: An Eastern Shoreman Reforms the United States Navy" in Virginia Cavalcade 23 (Spring 1974).
In 1967-1968, Hall received the H. Bailey Carroll Award of the Texas State Historical Association for the article, "The Fabulous Tom Ochiltree: Promoter, Politician, and Raconteur" in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly 71 (January 1968) Thomas Peck Ochiltree (1839–1902) was an out-of-the-mold Texas statesman who was born in Alabama
, reared in Nacogdoches
and Marshall
, Texas, served in the United States House of Representatives
from Galveston
, died in Virginia, and is interred in New York
.
. Survivors included his wife, the former Mary Inez Wingfield (October 29, 1924–January 1, 2011) of Bryan, an Albemarle County native whose father worked for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. Their sons are Claude Hall, Jr. (born 1952), and his wife, Donna, of Antioch
in Lake County
, near Chicago, Illinois
, and David Bruce Hall (born August 12, 1956) of Bryan. Hall, Jr., is the president of Health System Synergies in Antioch.
Hall and his wife are interred at College Station Cemetery.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
of primarily American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
who spent his entire academic career at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In 1963, he published the definitive biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
of former United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Abel Parker Upshur
Abel P. Upshur
Abel Parker Upshur was an American lawyer, judge and politician from Virginia. Upshur was active in Virginia state politics and later served as Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of State during the Whig administration of President John Tyler...
.
Early years and career
Hall was born to Robert Montgomery Hall (1896–1956), a BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister and a barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
, and the former Josephine Wood (1897–1991) in Proffit
Proffit, Virginia
Proffit is an unincorporated community in Albemarle County, Virginia. There is no commercial activity, with only houses lining the road and a bridge under which Norfolk Southern's Piedmont Division, Washington District line runs...
, an unincorporated community near Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
in Albemarle County
Albemarle County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 79,236 people, 31,876 households, and 21,070 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 33,720 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile...
in north central Virginia. He graduated from public schools in 1939 and enrolled at the nearby University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. His education was interrupted from 1942–1945, when he fought in North Africa and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
with the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, he received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(1947), Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(1949), and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(1954), all from the University of Virginia.
Hall settled in Bryan
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
, Texas, in 1951, when he was appointed to the TAMU faculty at a time when the institution was still all-male. He was elevated to full professor in 1964 and professor emeritus upon his retirement in 1986. In 1958, he became the first professor in the liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
at TAMU to receive the Association of Former Students "Distinguished Teaching Award". He was a past president of Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society established 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the "unity and democracy of education"...
and was affiliated with the TAMU Century Club, the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
, the Southern Historical Association
Southern Historical Association
The Southern Historical Association is an organization of historians focusing on the history of the Southern United States . It was organized on November 2, 1934...
, the Virginia Historical Society
Virginia Historical Society
The Virginia Historical Society , founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a major repository, research, and teaching center for Virginia history...
, the Organization of American Historians
Organization of American Historians
The Organization of American Historians , formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S...
, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations
Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations
The Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations is the leading learned society for the academic study of the history of United States foreign policy....
, the Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Historical Association
The Texas State Historical Association or abbreviated TSHA, is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the rich and unique history of Texas. It was founded on March 2, 1897. As of November 2008, TSHA moved from Austin to the University of North Texas in Denton.The executive...
, and the East Texas Historical Association
East Texas Historical Association
The East Texas Historical Association is an organization of professional historians and interested laypersons dedicated to the preservation of the overall history of East Texas, generally defined as that portion of the state east of Interstate 35. The association was founded in 1962 after a long...
at Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...
in Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
, Texas, of which he served as the fifteenth president from 1976-1977. He was a member of the large Central Baptist Church of Bryan, where he taught the men's Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
class until his health failed.
In retirement, Hall was a large donor to the Republican Party
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...
.
Abel Parker Upshur
Hall's biography of Upshur is entitled Abel Parker Upshur: Conservative Virginian, 1790-1844. The book was published in 1963 by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin at MadisonMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
. No longer in print, it is the first and only full-scale study of Upshur, who served as secretary of the navy
United States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...
before he was moved to the State Department by U.S. President John Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
, also of Virginia. Abel Parker Upshur is replete with notations which contain material either related or tangential to the text as well as the compilation of sources, including manuscripts and historical documents. Upshur was working on the annexation of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
to the United States at the time of his accidental death aboard the Princeton. A native of the Eastern Shore of Virginia
Eastern Shore of Virginia
The Eastern Shore of Virginia consists of two counties on the Atlantic coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The region is part of the Delmarva Peninsula and is separated from the rest of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay. Its population was 45,553 as of 2010...
and originally a Federalist
Federalist
The term federalist describes several political beliefs around the world. Also, it may refer to the concept of federalism or the type of government called a federation...
, Upshur believed that he was near procuring a two-thirds Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
majority for a treaty
Treaty
A treaty is an express agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely sovereign states and international organizations. A treaty may also be known as an agreement, protocol, covenant, convention or exchange of letters, among other terms...
of annexation. He viewed the annexation of Texas as a vehicle by which to strengthen the pro-slavery forces. On his death, President Tyler called John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
from the Senate, representing South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, as secretary of state to complete the annexation process. Texas joined the union of staes in 1845 not by a treaty but through a joint resolution
Joint resolution
In the United States Congress, a joint resolution is a legislative measure that requires approval by the Senate and the House and is presented to the President for his/her approval or disapproval, in exactly the same case as a bill....
, approved by a one-vote margin of both houses of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
.
Reviewer Charles M. Wiltse in 1964 described Hall's work as "balanced, well written and on the whole a satisfying biography despite occasional passages in which he feels called upon to extenuate Upshur's ultra-conservative pro-slavery views ..." Another reviewer, Robert Seager, noted that Upshur has been described as the "Calhoun of Virginia". Seager determined that Hall had "shown indefatigable energy in searching out and bringing together in one volume the badly scattered bits and pieces of Upshur data."
In 1961, Hall published a related article "Abel P. Upshur and the Navy as an Instrument of Foreign Policy" in the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, sponsored by the Virginia Historical Society. Hall concluded that Upshur, who supported the principle of secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
had "gained a deserved national reputation as a reformer, had awakened the public from its long lethargy regarding its navy, and had been recognized as an extremely able administrator." Hall also published a second article on Upshur: "Abel Parker Upshur: An Eastern Shoreman Reforms the United States Navy" in Virginia Cavalcade 23 (Spring 1974).
In 1967-1968, Hall received the H. Bailey Carroll Award of the Texas State Historical Association for the article, "The Fabulous Tom Ochiltree: Promoter, Politician, and Raconteur" in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly 71 (January 1968) Thomas Peck Ochiltree (1839–1902) was an out-of-the-mold Texas statesman who was born in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, reared in Nacogdoches
Nacogdoches, Texas
Nacogdoches is a city in Nacogdoches County, Texas, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the city's population to be 32,996. It is the county seat of Nacogdoches County and is situated in East Texas. Nacogdoches is a sister city of Natchitoches, Louisiana.Nacogdoches is the home of...
and Marshall
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
, Texas, served in the United States 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...
from Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, died in Virginia, and is interred in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Death
Hall died at the age of seventy-eight at St. Joseph Regional Health Center in Bryan after a lengthy struggle with Parkinson's diseaseParkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
. Survivors included his wife, the former Mary Inez Wingfield (October 29, 1924–January 1, 2011) of Bryan, an Albemarle County native whose father worked for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad. Their sons are Claude Hall, Jr. (born 1952), and his wife, Donna, of Antioch
Antioch, Illinois
Antioch is a village in the Antioch Township of Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,430 at the 2010 census. Antioch is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.- Prior to incorporation :...
in Lake County
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...
, near Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and David Bruce Hall (born August 12, 1956) of Bryan. Hall, Jr., is the president of Health System Synergies in Antioch.
Hall and his wife are interred at College Station Cemetery.