Billy Hall (Texas politician)

William N. "Billy" Hall, Jr. (August 20, 1940 - February 19, 2002), was a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives from Laredo, who served from 1973-1987. He was subsequently the county Treasurer of Webb County, from 1995 until his death.

Biography

Hall served in the state House under the administrations of Governors Dolph Briscoe, Bill Clements, and Mark White. He did not seek an eighth two-year term in 1986, instead running in the Democratic primary for the Texas State Senate but lost contest to Judith Zaffirini. In the legislature, Hall was a strong advocate of Laredo State University (subsequently Texas A&M University and located on a new campus off the Bob Bullock Expressway in east Laredo. Hall was a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, chaired the Law Enforcement and Liquor Regulation committees, and served on the Revenue and Taxation Committee.

Hall graduated from Martin High School, where he was an American football player. He was the former publisher of the "South Texas Citizen", a newspaper started by his father, William Hall, Sr. Thereafter, Hall, Jr., sold the paper to a businessman in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. A former teacher, Hall was later an officer with the International Bank of Commerce owned by former gubernatorial candidate Tony Sanchez of Laredo. Republican Governor William P. "Bill" Clements, Jr., then named Hall in 1987 to the National Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

In January 1995, Hall was appointed Webb County treasurer by the commissioners court after the previous treasurer, Mike Urdiales, resigned to become a member of the commissioners court. Hall was elected to a full term in 1998, but he died of cancer during the primary campaign of 2002, when he was a candidate for a second term. Hall's great-grandfather was also a Webb County treasurer.

In 2007, the Webb County Commissioners Court named the county administrative building after Hall. There is a bronze bust of Hall in the lobby of the building. Hall is also honored through the William N. "Billy" Hall Student Center on the Laredo Community College South Campus, located off U.S. Highway 83 in southeastern Laredo.

References

* Clay Reddick, "Unveiling marks naming building after former Webb treasurer", "Laredo Morning Times", August 21, 2007, p. 1, 8A: http://www.lmtonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18730384&BRD=2290&PAG=461&dept_id=569392&rfi=6
* http://www.houstonculture.org/hispanic/tejano4.html
* http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:f9FYsEERGloJ:www.laredo.edu/history/+william+n.+billy+hall+of+laredo,+texas&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us
* http://libraryasp.tamu.edu/cushing/collectn/modpol/clements/ap2/2_3.html
* http://find.intelius.com/search-summary-out.php?ReportType=1&