Henry C. Hall (commissioner)
Encyclopedia
Henry Clay Hall, Jr. was an American attorney and commissioner of the Interstate Commerce Commission
, appointed by president Woodrow Wilson
in 1914 and who served on the Commission from March 21, 1914 to January 13, 1928. He served as Chairman of the Commission from 1917to 1918 and again in 1924.
. Hall attended Amherst College
and graduated in 1881, and received an LL.B. from Columbia Law School
in 1883. He was admitted to the New York City Bar Association in 1883. After briefly practicing in New York, he moved to Paris, where he worked with his brother in law, Edmond Kelly, and in 1888, became counsel to the American Legation in Paris.
Hall returned to the United States in 1892 for health reasons. Hall planned to journey to California for his health but stopped off to visit a brother in Colorado Springs, Colorado
, and found he liked the place so much that he settled there.
commissioner Charles A. Prouty
resigned to take the job as head of the Commission's Division of Valuation, and to run for the Senate in Vermont. This, in combination with the death in November 1913 of commissioner John Hobart Marble of California following an attack of acute indigestion, gave President Woodrow Wilson
two seats to fill on the Commission. Wilson selected Winthrop More Daniels of New Jersey to fill Marble's seat, and Hall to fill Prouty's. This preserved the geographic balance on the Commission.
Hall was the first commissioner from the Rocky Mountain region. He served as Commission Chairman from 1917-18 and in 1924.
Hall took the lead on the Commission in the Shreveport rate case, in which the Commission determined it could regulate intrastate freight. This position was upheld by the Supreme Court In 1921, Hall was reappointed for another seven-year term by President Harding.
In late 1927, Hall submitted his resignation to President Calvin Coolidge
, effective on the appointment of a replacement. He left the Commission in 1928.
. He was survived by his second wife, the former Alice Munsell Sweetser of New York, whom he had wed in 1905, by their daughter, and by four children by his first marriage to Mary Bacon Barstow, who had died in 1901.
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
, appointed by president Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
in 1914 and who served on the Commission from March 21, 1914 to January 13, 1928. He served as Chairman of the Commission from 1917to 1918 and again in 1924.
Biography
He was born on January 3, 1860 to Henry Clay Hall, Sr. and Amanda Harwood Ferry in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Hall attended Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
and graduated in 1881, and received an LL.B. from Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
in 1883. He was admitted to the New York City Bar Association in 1883. After briefly practicing in New York, he moved to Paris, where he worked with his brother in law, Edmond Kelly, and in 1888, became counsel to the American Legation in Paris.
Hall returned to the United States in 1892 for health reasons. Hall planned to journey to California for his health but stopped off to visit a brother in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, and found he liked the place so much that he settled there.
Politician and railroad attorney
Hall resumed the practice of law in Colorado, becoming a major corporation lawyer and became mayor of Colorado Springs from 1905 to 1907. He became general attorney for the Arkansas, Louisiana & Gulf Railway and served as counsel for many corporations. He became President of the Bar in Colorado, and state vice-president of the American Bar Association.Commissioner
In early 1914, Interstate Commerce CommissionInterstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
commissioner Charles A. Prouty
Charles A. Prouty
Charles A. Prouty was an American Democratic politician and government official who served as a commissioner of the ICC from 1896 to 1914. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate from Vermont in 1914, losing to incumbent Republican senator William P...
resigned to take the job as head of the Commission's Division of Valuation, and to run for the Senate in Vermont. This, in combination with the death in November 1913 of commissioner John Hobart Marble of California following an attack of acute indigestion, gave President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
two seats to fill on the Commission. Wilson selected Winthrop More Daniels of New Jersey to fill Marble's seat, and Hall to fill Prouty's. This preserved the geographic balance on the Commission.
Hall was the first commissioner from the Rocky Mountain region. He served as Commission Chairman from 1917-18 and in 1924.
Hall took the lead on the Commission in the Shreveport rate case, in which the Commission determined it could regulate intrastate freight. This position was upheld by the Supreme Court In 1921, Hall was reappointed for another seven-year term by President Harding.
In late 1927, Hall submitted his resignation to President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
, effective on the appointment of a replacement. He left the Commission in 1928.
Later life
Hall died on November 9, 1936, at his home in Ashfield, MassachusettsAshfield, Massachusetts
Ashfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,737 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
. He was survived by his second wife, the former Alice Munsell Sweetser of New York, whom he had wed in 1905, by their daughter, and by four children by his first marriage to Mary Bacon Barstow, who had died in 1901.