Blair Hull
Encyclopedia
M. Blair Hull is an American
businessman
, investor
, Democratic politician
, and philanthropist
.
Hull founded Hull Trading Company
in 1985 and served as the firm’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
before selling it to Goldman Sachs
in 1999 for $531 million. Hull's company, which leveraged technological innovations and quantitative models
, was one of the world's premier market-making firms
, trading on 28 exchanges in nine countries.
Hull went on to found Matlock Capital, and is now chairman and CEO of Ketchum Trading, LLC, a proprietary trading firm that operates in futures
, options and exchange traded funds.
Blair Hull is personally credited with buffering the crash of Black Monday in 1987
when he bought the bottom of the market and restored liquidity and confidence to the panicked financial markets. Trader Monthly
recognized him for having executed one of “The 40 Greatest Trades of All Time,” and Worth Magazine named him one of “Wall Street’s 25 Smartest Players.”
A longtime political activist and donor, Blair Hull sought the Illinois Democratic Party’s nomination as candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2004 as a champion of universal healthcare and efficiency
in government. Barack Obama
ultimately won that primary. Blair Hull remains active in the political arena as both an activist and donor, and is a partner in the Democracy Alliance.
--near what would later be called Silicon Valley
. After completing high school, Hull went to work on the assembly line of a cannery factory to help support his family, ultimately joining Union
Local 679 and earning himself a union card by the age of 19.
During the Vietnam buildup, Hull answered his nation's call and served six years in the United States Army
. After reaching the rank of lieutenant and completing his military service, Blair Hull turned to the classroom, teaching high school level math and physics before becoming a student again himself and going on to higher education with the GI Bill, as his father had done before him.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara
, his MBA from Santa Clara University
and graduated from the Harvard OPM Program.
While working full-time at a manufacturing company, Hull tested his mathematical and analytical skills at the blackjack
tables in Las Vegas, where he proved to be a skilled and disciplined player. Hull took his accumulated winnings to the Pacific Stock Exchange, then to the Chicago financial exchanges. Once there, he established himself as a pioneer in the trading industry, revolutionizing the financial markets through the use of innovative models and state-of-the-art technology.
As Founder of Hull Trading Company, Blair Hull built a business from scratch in Illinois, created hundreds of jobs, and grew his company into one of the most successful trading firms in the country.
Their story is outlined in the book, "The Big Player" by Ken Uston.
Hull left the blackjack tables with $25,000 and took his winnings to the markets-- first leasing a seat on the Pacific Stock Exchange, then starting a firm on the Chicago financial exchanges.
Blair Hull founded Hull Trading Company
in 1985 and served as the firm’s Chairman and CEO.
The company was a global leader in the application of computer technology to listed derivatives trading. Hull developed a proprietary and large scale reliable distributed system architecture, providing automatic real-time pricing, risk management, market making and interconnection with automated options, futures and stock exchanges as they became available. Hull's massively scalable software technology was deployed to cover both domestic and international markets as electronic, on-line exchanges became available, while innovative hand-held computer technology was employed at exchanges still requiring execution by floor traders.
The firm grew to over 180 employees including financial engineers, physicists, almost 100 software engineers and computer support staff. At its peak, Hull Trading Company moved nearly a quarter of the entire daily market volume on some markets, executed over 7% of the index options traded in the United States, 3% of the equity options, and 1% of all shares traded daily on the New York Stock Exchange
.
In 1999, Blair Hull sold his company to Goldman Sachs
for $531 million.
Blair Hull founded Matlock Capital, LLC in 1999 as a private financial investment firm that served the Hull family and the Hull Family Foundation.
The firm, which was located in Chicago, Illinois, comprised an internal proprietary
trading system and partnered with selected external traders to pursue private investments.
Blair Hull founded Ketchum Trading, LLC in 2010 and serves as both Chairman and CEO. Today, Ketchum Trading is a rapidly growing, privately held, proprietary trading firm, based in Chicago, Illinois.
Driven by algorithms and technology, this high frequency trading firm makes markets and trades in futures
, options and exchange traded funds.
Blair Hull is an outspoken supporter of a woman's right to choose. He has served on the national board of NARAL Pro-Choice America
, and is actively involved with Planned Parenthood
, Emily's List
, and Voters for Choice.
In Illinois, Hull has been recognized by the Illinois General Assembly
for his lifelong advocacy and dedication to protecting the rights of all women, and has been honored as a Lifetime Activist by Personal PAC, Illinois' largest and most influential pro-choice
organization.
Blair Hull, along with his daughter, also played a critical role in the landmark Supreme Court decision surrounding Title IX, Cohen vs. Brown University which leveled the playing filed for women in sports. Hull served on the Board of the Women's Sports Foundation
, and he endowed the first Chair in Women's Studies
at his alma mater, University of California, Santa Barbara
Blair Hull is a strong voice in favor of gay rights and greater equality. He has been an outspoken advocate in favor of the repeal of the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy; has supported the strengthening of hate crimes legislation; and has pushed for passage of ENDA
and repeal of DOMA
.
Hull has also been a generous supporter of the Human Rights Campaign
, Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal Defense Fund, and Test Positive Aware Network.
Blair Hull has been a longtime financial supporter of Democratic causes and candidates across the country campaigning for a wide range of local, state, and national offices.
Hull is also a member of the Democracy Alliance. Launched in 2005, the Democracy Alliance was created to allow individuals to leverage their progressive
philanthropy
by connecting their own efforts with those of other investors/donors, high-impact organizations, and visionary political strategists and leaders.
nominee. The Senate seat had been vacated by retiring Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald.
Hull's candidacy brought a unique background to the crowded Democratic field.
2004 Democratic Candidates, US Senate for Illinois
Hull was unique among the candidate field: he was an Army veteran, had been a card-carrying union member, had taught students as a high school math teacher, and was a successful businessman who had built a business and created jobs in Illinois.
During the campaign, Hull railed against the corporate special interests and their influence in Washington. He advocated universal healthcare, greater efficiency in government, campaign finance reform
, and re-importation of prescription drugs.
Hull garnered nationwide attention for inviting scores of prescription-drug dependent senior citizens to travel with him aboard his campaign buses across the US/ Canada border to Windsor, Ontario
to purchase their medications at dramatically lower prices. The trips served to focus media attention on the rising costs of American healthcare, and to frame the debate as the campaign moved forward.
Hull largely self-funded his campaign for Senate, spending a record $29 million of his own money on the race.
Barack Obama succeeded in winning the election, Blair Hull finished third. Hull remains active in Democratic politics, both as an activist and a donor.
The Hull Family Foundation seeks to promote social justice
and believes education
is a key factor in initiating change.
The Foundation also supports art and culture, as well as efforts to promote and maintain healthy, sustainable ecosystems.
of the Chicago Board Options Exchange
from 1988 to 1990 and on the Board of the Options Clearing Corporation
from 1992 to 1998.
He served on the National Board of Directors for NARAL
, is a Partner in the Democracy Alliance
, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
Blair Hull is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of California Santa Barbara Foundation and in 1998 he endowed the first Chair in Women's Studies
at University of California, Santa Barbara.
Hull is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago, BARRA Inc., Xambala Inc., the Union League Club of Chicago
, Claremont Country Club, and The Valley Club
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
, investor
Investor
An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...
, Democratic politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Hull founded Hull Trading Company
Hull Trading Company
Hull Trading Company was an independent algorithmic trading firm and electronic market maker. Known for its quantitative and technology-based trading strategy, it was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 1999.-History:...
in 1985 and served as the firm’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
before selling it to Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
in 1999 for $531 million. Hull's company, which leveraged technological innovations and quantitative models
Mathematical finance
Mathematical finance is a field of applied mathematics, concerned with financial markets. The subject has a close relationship with the discipline of financial economics, which is concerned with much of the underlying theory. Generally, mathematical finance will derive and extend the mathematical...
, was one of the world's premier market-making firms
Market maker
A market maker is a company, or an individual, that quotes both a buy and a sell price in a financial instrument or commodity held in inventory, hoping to make a profit on the bid-offer spread, or turn. From a market microstructure theory standpoint, market makers are net sellers of an option to be...
, trading on 28 exchanges in nine countries.
Hull went on to found Matlock Capital, and is now chairman and CEO of Ketchum Trading, LLC, a proprietary trading firm that operates in futures
Futures
-Finance:*Futures contract, a tradable financial contract*Futures exchange, a financial market where futures contracts are traded*Futures , an American finance magazine-Music:*Futures , a 2004 release by Jimmy Eat World...
, options and exchange traded funds.
Blair Hull is personally credited with buffering the crash of Black Monday in 1987
Black Monday (1987)
In finance, Black Monday refers to Monday October 19, 1987, when stock markets around the world crashed, shedding a huge value in a very short time. The crash began in Hong Kong and spread west to Europe, hitting the United States after other markets had already declined by a significant margin...
when he bought the bottom of the market and restored liquidity and confidence to the panicked financial markets. Trader Monthly
Trader Monthly
Trader Monthly was a lifestyle magazine for financial traders founded by Magnus Greaves, edited by Randall Lane, and chaired by Jim Dunning under the company Doubledown Media. The target audience of Trader Monthly was the financial community with an average income at or exceeding U.S.$ 450,000...
recognized him for having executed one of “The 40 Greatest Trades of All Time,” and Worth Magazine named him one of “Wall Street’s 25 Smartest Players.”
A longtime political activist and donor, Blair Hull sought the Illinois Democratic Party’s nomination as candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2004 as a champion of universal healthcare and efficiency
Efficiency
Efficiency in general describes the extent to which time or effort is well used for the intended task or purpose. It is often used with the specific purpose of relaying the capability of a specific application of effort to produce a specific outcome effectively with a minimum amount or quantity of...
in government. Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
ultimately won that primary. Blair Hull remains active in the political arena as both an activist and donor, and is a partner in the Democracy Alliance.
Early Life
Blair Hull was born in 1942, the son of Marson Hull and Jean Matlock Hull, and raised in Los Gatos, CaliforniaLos Gatos, California
The Town of Los Gatos is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 29,413 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area at the southwest corner of San Jose in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains...
--near what would later be called Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
. After completing high school, Hull went to work on the assembly line of a cannery factory to help support his family, ultimately joining Union
Union
Union may refer to:* Trade union or labor union, an organization of workers that have banded together, often for the purpose of getting better working conditions or pay...
Local 679 and earning himself a union card by the age of 19.
During the Vietnam buildup, Hull answered his nation's call and served six years in 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...
. After reaching the rank of lieutenant and completing his military service, Blair Hull turned to the classroom, teaching high school level math and physics before becoming a student again himself and going on to higher education with the GI Bill, as his father had done before him.
He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, his MBA from Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
and graduated from the Harvard OPM Program.
While working full-time at a manufacturing company, Hull tested his mathematical and analytical skills at the blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
tables in Las Vegas, where he proved to be a skilled and disciplined player. Hull took his accumulated winnings to the Pacific Stock Exchange, then to the Chicago financial exchanges. Once there, he established himself as a pioneer in the trading industry, revolutionizing the financial markets through the use of innovative models and state-of-the-art technology.
As Founder of Hull Trading Company, Blair Hull built a business from scratch in Illinois, created hundreds of jobs, and grew his company into one of the most successful trading firms in the country.
Beating the Odds
Trained in mathematics and computer science, Hull applied his skills to the Las Vegas blackjack tables in the 1970s. He beat the odds—or, rather, beat the house by shifting the odds in his favor—by devising intricate mathematical formulas that called for a skilled team of card players to help determine when and how to bet in blackjack. The team consistently turned a profit.Their story is outlined in the book, "The Big Player" by Ken Uston.
-
-
- “When Hull played blackjack, he saw it not as a risk-taking endeavor but rather “a clear financial opportunity that other people did not see.” With the right system, blackjack became a positive-expectation game: Statistically speaking, Hull had to win (over the long haul at least). Similarly, he would have been loath to enter the options market without what he perceived as an advantage. At the Pacific Exchange, Hull’s equivalent to card counting was the exploitation of his computer-generated theoretical-value sheets. Based on an option-pricing model of Hull’s own invention (similar to the Black-Scholes model, though he was unaware of their work at the time), the sheets told him what each option was truly worth at a particular stock price—and he would buy or sell accordingly to exploit the spread. The system worked." -MBA Jungle
-
Hull left the blackjack tables with $25,000 and took his winnings to the markets-- first leasing a seat on the Pacific Stock Exchange, then starting a firm on the Chicago financial exchanges.
Hull Trading Company
- Hull Trading CompanyHull Trading CompanyHull Trading Company was an independent algorithmic trading firm and electronic market maker. Known for its quantitative and technology-based trading strategy, it was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 1999.-History:...
1985-1999
Blair Hull founded Hull Trading Company
Hull Trading Company
Hull Trading Company was an independent algorithmic trading firm and electronic market maker. Known for its quantitative and technology-based trading strategy, it was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 1999.-History:...
in 1985 and served as the firm’s Chairman and CEO.
The company was a global leader in the application of computer technology to listed derivatives trading. Hull developed a proprietary and large scale reliable distributed system architecture, providing automatic real-time pricing, risk management, market making and interconnection with automated options, futures and stock exchanges as they became available. Hull's massively scalable software technology was deployed to cover both domestic and international markets as electronic, on-line exchanges became available, while innovative hand-held computer technology was employed at exchanges still requiring execution by floor traders.
-
-
- "The trading room at Hull headquarters looks like NASA mission control. Powerful workstations process streams of financial data, flashing advice to the handhelds carried by Hull traders at the CBOE and the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). Different workstations track the firm's risk profile, sending handheld-equipped traders at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange instructions about how to use futures contracts to hedge trades being made at the CBOE and the CBOT.
- The goal of this remarkable technological firepower is simple: not to take big risks but to find sure things. Hull's computers search the markets for temporary price imperfections, devise transactions to profit from the imperfections, and hedge those bets to protect against other risks. It's a lot like blackjack. "All you need is a mathematical advantage and the controls to ensure that you stay in the game," Hull argues. "Everything else takes care of itself." -Fast Company
-
The firm grew to over 180 employees including financial engineers, physicists, almost 100 software engineers and computer support staff. At its peak, Hull Trading Company moved nearly a quarter of the entire daily market volume on some markets, executed over 7% of the index options traded in the United States, 3% of the equity options, and 1% of all shares traded daily on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
.
-
-
- "His computers trade stocks faster than the human eye can see them scroll on a screen. The system is designed to predict patterns that will unfold in the market over periods as short as two minutes. In a business that isn't normally modest about its technological savvy, Hull and his automated trading shop are the envy of Wall Street's top firms." - Worth Magazine
-
In 1999, Blair Hull sold his company to Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
for $531 million.
Matlock Capital
- Matlock Capital 1999-2010
Blair Hull founded Matlock Capital, LLC in 1999 as a private financial investment firm that served the Hull family and the Hull Family Foundation.
The firm, which was located in Chicago, Illinois, comprised an internal proprietary
Proprietary
The term proprietary relates to property or ownership.Proprietary may refer to:* Proprietary chapel* Proprietary church* Proprietary colleges* Proprietary colony* Proprietary community* Proprietary company* Proprietary eponym...
trading system and partnered with selected external traders to pursue private investments.
Ketchum Trading, LLC
- Ketchum Trading, LLC 2010-Current
Blair Hull founded Ketchum Trading, LLC in 2010 and serves as both Chairman and CEO. Today, Ketchum Trading is a rapidly growing, privately held, proprietary trading firm, based in Chicago, Illinois.
Driven by algorithms and technology, this high frequency trading firm makes markets and trades in futures
Futures
-Finance:*Futures contract, a tradable financial contract*Futures exchange, a financial market where futures contracts are traded*Futures , an American finance magazine-Music:*Futures , a 2004 release by Jimmy Eat World...
, options and exchange traded funds.
Political Advocacy
- Women's Reproductive Health, Gender Equity
Blair Hull is an outspoken supporter of a woman's right to choose. He has served on the national board of NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America , formerly the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then National Abortion Rights Action League, and later National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose...
, and is actively involved with Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
, Emily's List
EMILY's List
EMILY's List is a political action committee in the United States that aims to help elect female candidates to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1984....
, and Voters for Choice.
In Illinois, Hull has been recognized by the Illinois General Assembly
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
for his lifelong advocacy and dedication to protecting the rights of all women, and has been honored as a Lifetime Activist by Personal PAC, Illinois' largest and most influential pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
organization.
Blair Hull, along with his daughter, also played a critical role in the landmark Supreme Court decision surrounding Title IX, Cohen vs. Brown University which leveled the playing filed for women in sports. Hull served on the Board of the Women's Sports Foundation
Women's Sports Foundation
The Women's Sports Foundation "is an educational nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King." Its stated mission statement is "To advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity."...
, and he endowed the first Chair in Women's Studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
at his alma mater, University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
- LGTB Causes
Blair Hull is a strong voice in favor of gay rights and greater equality. He has been an outspoken advocate in favor of the repeal of the military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy; has supported the strengthening of hate crimes legislation; and has pushed for passage of ENDA
Enda
-People:*Enda of Aran, Irish saint*Enda Colleran , Irish sportsman*Enda Kenny , Irish politician*Enda Markey , Irish/Australian singer and actor*Enda McCallion , Irish film director...
and repeal of DOMA
Doma
- Places :* Domah, a mandal in Ranga Reddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India* Doma, Nigeria, a local government are in Nasarawa State, Nigeria* Duma , a Palestinian town in the West Bank- Other uses :...
.
Hull has also been a generous supporter of the Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
, Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal Defense Fund, and Test Positive Aware Network.
- Democratic Donor, Democracy Alliance
Blair Hull has been a longtime financial supporter of Democratic causes and candidates across the country campaigning for a wide range of local, state, and national offices.
Hull is also a member of the Democracy Alliance. Launched in 2005, the Democracy Alliance was created to allow individuals to leverage their progressive
Progressive
Progressive is an adjectival form of progress and may refer to:-Politics:* Progressivism, a political ideology* Progressive Era, a period of reform in the United States Progressive is an adjectival form of progress and may refer to:-Politics:* Progressivism, a political ideology* Progressive Era, a...
philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
by connecting their own efforts with those of other investors/donors, high-impact organizations, and visionary political strategists and leaders.
United States Senate Candidacy
Blair Hull ran in the 2004 Illinois Democratic Primary to be the party’s United States SenateUnited 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...
nominee. The Senate seat had been vacated by retiring Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald.
Hull's candidacy brought a unique background to the crowded Democratic field.
-
-
- "...As a former high school teacher, union worker, and board member of NARAL, [Hull] appeals to important Democratic constituencies; as the lone veteran in the field, he can oppose the war in Iraq unquestioned. His unusual life story, too, sets Hull apart from the drab lawyers, state representatives, and political scions who normally pursue office in Illinois." - Atlantic Monthly
-
2004 Democratic Candidates, US Senate for Illinois
- Blair Hull
- Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
- Gery ChicoGery ChicoGery Chico is a Chicago lawyer, public official, former Democratic primary candidate for United States Senate, and former candidate for Mayor of Chicago. Chico served as the Chief of Staff to Mayor Richard M. Daley from 1992 to 1995, and board president of the Chicago Public Schools from 1995 to...
- Dan Hynes
- Maria Papas
- Nancy SkinnerNancy SkinnerNancy Skinner is a nationally syndicated radio and television commentator, based in Detroit, Michigan.She has run for political office several times, all unsuccessfully. In 2004, she was a Democratic candidate for an open U.S. Senate seat in Illinois, losing in the Democratic primary election to...
- Joyce Washington
Hull was unique among the candidate field: he was an Army veteran, had been a card-carrying union member, had taught students as a high school math teacher, and was a successful businessman who had built a business and created jobs in Illinois.
During the campaign, Hull railed against the corporate special interests and their influence in Washington. He advocated universal healthcare, greater efficiency in government, campaign finance reform
Campaign finance reform
Campaign finance reform is the common term for the political effort in the United States to change the involvement of money in politics, primarily in political campaigns....
, and re-importation of prescription drugs.
Hull garnered nationwide attention for inviting scores of prescription-drug dependent senior citizens to travel with him aboard his campaign buses across the US/ Canada border to Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
to purchase their medications at dramatically lower prices. The trips served to focus media attention on the rising costs of American healthcare, and to frame the debate as the campaign moved forward.
Hull largely self-funded his campaign for Senate, spending a record $29 million of his own money on the race.
Barack Obama succeeded in winning the election, Blair Hull finished third. Hull remains active in Democratic politics, both as an activist and a donor.
Hull Family Foundation
Blair Hull and his four adult children partnered to create the Hull Family Foundation in 1999.The Hull Family Foundation seeks to promote social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
and believes education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
is a key factor in initiating change.
The Foundation also supports art and culture, as well as efforts to promote and maintain healthy, sustainable ecosystems.
Board Membership
Blair Hull has served on the Board of DirectorsBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of the Chicago Board Options Exchange
Chicago Board Options Exchange
The Chicago Board Options Exchange , located at 400 South LaSalle Street in Chicago, is the largest U.S. options exchange with annual trading volume that hovered around one billion contracts at the end of 2007...
from 1988 to 1990 and on the Board of the Options Clearing Corporation
Options Clearing Corporation
Options Clearing Corporation or OCC, founded in 1973, is the world's largest equity derivatives clearing organization, providing central counterparty clearing and settlement services to 14 exchanges and platforms for options, financial and commodity futures, security futures and securities...
from 1992 to 1998.
He served on the National Board of Directors for NARAL
NARAL Pro-Choice America
NARAL Pro-Choice America , formerly the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, then National Abortion Rights Action League, and later National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, is an organization in the United States that engages in political action to oppose...
, is a Partner in the Democracy Alliance
Democracy Alliance
The Democracy Alliance is a partnership of business and philanthropic leaders who commit to making make human and financial donations to organizations the Alliance has endorsed...
, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
Blair Hull is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of California Santa Barbara Foundation and in 1998 he endowed the first Chair in Women's Studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
at University of California, Santa Barbara.
Hull is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago, BARRA Inc., Xambala Inc., the Union League Club of Chicago
Union League Club of Chicago
The Union League Club of Chicago is a prominent social club located in downtown Chicago.-History:The Club can trace its roots to 1862, when radical southern sympathizers in the north were plotting an insurrection in Lincoln’s home state...
, Claremont Country Club, and The Valley Club