History:Framed oil painting of Governor William Hall. The painting is signed by the artist in the lower right corner.
Notes:William Hall (1755-1856) served as governor of TN from April until October 1829. He was born in N.C. migrating to TN as a young man and early becoming involved in politics. A prosperous farmer, he was elected to the state house in 1797, after serving as brigadier general in the Creek War. After 6 years in the house he was elected to the senate. It was from this office, where he served as speaker, that he became governor when Sam Houston left office. His term as governor was so short he had little time to accomplish much, but he did carry out many of William Carroll's plans - penal code revision, establishment of the penitentiary, and strengthening of the educational program. Like Carroll and Houston before him, Hall was a Jackson supporter and was elected to COngress in 1831. He retired from public life in 1833 and died in 1856. The Tennessee Blue Book.
