Millard Hall

Millard Hall
Jerry Hall
Born	August 12, 1926 Stanton, Texas
Died	March 6, 2005(2005-03-06) (aged 78)
Nationality	American
Other names	Jerry Hall
Occupation	Journalist, political consultant
Known for	Press secretary to Texas Governor Preston Smith
Spouse	Mary Frances Hall née Vestal
Children	Martha Hall, Richard Hall, Julie Hall

Millard Young "Jerry" Hall (August 12, 1926 – March 6, 2005) was a journalist and political consultant. He served as press secretary to Texas governor Preston Smith.

Early life

Hall was born in Stanton, Texas to John Morgan Hall and Beulah Mae Hall née Houston. After high school, he enrolled in John Tarleton College (now Tarleton State University) but dropped out to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Force where he served until the end of World War II.^[1] He then enrolled in Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech University) in Lubbock, Texas, where he served as editor of The Toreador and also worked as a photographer for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. He married Mary Frances Vestal on August 31, 1950, and received his journalism degree in 1954.^[1][2]

Career

After graduating from college, Hall worked for a year as a copy editor for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram before joining the Washington staff of Congressman George H. Mahon.^[1][2]

By 1958, Hall had returned to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal; and, by 1965, he had moved to Austin to work for the capitol bureau of Fentress Newspapers. He covered Charles Whitman's sniper attack on the University of Texas campus in 1966. He also covered the 1968 Democratic National Convention and 1968 Republican National Convention.^[2]

After Preston Smith was elected governor of Texas, he appointed Hall to serve as his press secretary, a role he held from 1969 to 1971.^[1] Hall, along with State Representative Bill Parsley and Warren Skaaren, a staff member in Governor Smith's office at the time, were instrumental in persuading Smith to create the Texas Film Commission.^[2][3]

Following his departure from the job of press secretary, Hall became the director of public information for the Constitutional Revision Commission and Constitutional Convention and worked on more than 60 political campaigns.^[1] In 1989, Hall returned to the Capitol in Austin to be Chief of Staff to Senator John Montford.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 509: In Memory of Jerry Hall
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} M. Y. Hall
3. ^ Thirty Years on Location: A History of the Texas Film Commission

Persondata
Name	Hall, Millard
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 12, 1926
Place of birth	Stanton, Texas
Date of death	March 6, 2005
Place of death