Kermit L. Hall
Encyclopedia
Kermit Lance Hall was a noted legal historian and university president. He served from 1994 to 1998 on the Assassination Records Review Board
to review and release to the public documents related to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
.
. His father, Kermit, was a tire builder, and his mother, Katherine, a bookkeeper. He was a Vietnam Era
veteran
http://www.albany.edu/president/hallbio.shtml. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Akron
and master's degree in 1967 from Syracuse University
. He earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota
in 1972. He also received a Master of Studies in Law (MSL
) degree from Yale Law School
in 1980.
Over the course of his career, Hall held academic positions at Vanderbilt University
, Wayne State University
, and University of Florida
. In 1992, Hall began a rapid ascent in higher education administration that included appointments at University of Tulsa
, Ohio State University
, and North Carolina State University
. He served as president of Utah State University
from 2000 to 2005, and in early 2005 he became the seventeenth president of the at University at Albany. During a distinguished career as a scholar, he wrote six books and edited twenty-two, including the award-winning The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court (second ed., rev. 2005), The Magic Mirror: Law in American History (1989), A Comprehensive Bibliography of American Constitutional and Legal History (1984), and The Politics of Justice: Lower Federal Judicial Selection and the Second Party System, 1829-1861 (1979). He served on numerous editorial boards and edited several book series, including Bicentennial Essays on the Bill of Rights published by Oxford University Press.
He received fellowships and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the American Bar Foundation. In 1993, President Bill Clinton
appointed him to the Assassination Records Review Board, which reviewed and eventually released tens of thousands of documents pertaining to the death of President John F. Kennedy. After the board completed its work, Hall received in 1999 the James Madison Award from the American Library Association
for his commitment to openness in government. In recent years, Hall assumed the role of public intellectual. A frequent lecturer in both the U.S. and abroad, he provided expert commentary to the national media about the history of the U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court.
Hall died of a heart attack on August 13, 2006 while swimming on vacation in South Carolina
. He was 61 years old.
A remembrance ceremony was held on August 14, 2006 at the Albany campus. The ceremony was attended by numerous campus leaders including Provost Susan Herbst, SUNY Chancellor John Ryan, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
, Congressman John E. Sweeney
, and Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings
.
Assassination Records Review Board
The Assassination Records Review Board was created as a result of an act passed by the US Congress in 1992, entitled the "President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act." The Act mandated the gathering and release of all US Government records related to the Assassination of John F....
to review and release to the public documents related to the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
Biography
Hall was raised in Akron, OhioAkron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
. His father, Kermit, was a tire builder, and his mother, Katherine, a bookkeeper. He was a Vietnam Era
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
http://www.albany.edu/president/hallbio.shtml. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
and master's degree in 1967 from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. He earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1972. He also received a Master of Studies in Law (MSL
MSL
- Organizations :* Major Series Lacrosse* Major Soccer League* Malaysia Super League* MBCgame Starleague * Metal Storm Limited, an Australian modern armament company...
) degree from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in 1980.
Over the course of his career, Hall held academic positions at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
, and University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
. In 1992, Hall began a rapid ascent in higher education administration that included appointments at University of Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
, Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, and North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
. He served as president of Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
from 2000 to 2005, and in early 2005 he became the seventeenth president of the at University at Albany. During a distinguished career as a scholar, he wrote six books and edited twenty-two, including the award-winning The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court (second ed., rev. 2005), The Magic Mirror: Law in American History (1989), A Comprehensive Bibliography of American Constitutional and Legal History (1984), and The Politics of Justice: Lower Federal Judicial Selection and the Second Party System, 1829-1861 (1979). He served on numerous editorial boards and edited several book series, including Bicentennial Essays on the Bill of Rights published by Oxford University Press.
He received fellowships and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the American Bar Foundation. In 1993, President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
appointed him to the Assassination Records Review Board, which reviewed and eventually released tens of thousands of documents pertaining to the death of President John F. Kennedy. After the board completed its work, Hall received in 1999 the James Madison Award from the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
for his commitment to openness in government. In recent years, Hall assumed the role of public intellectual. A frequent lecturer in both the U.S. and abroad, he provided expert commentary to the national media about the history of the U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court.
Hall died of a heart attack on August 13, 2006 while swimming on vacation in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. He was 61 years old.
A remembrance ceremony was held on August 14, 2006 at the Albany campus. The ceremony was attended by numerous campus leaders including Provost Susan Herbst, SUNY Chancellor John Ryan, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, Congressman John E. Sweeney
John E. Sweeney
John E. Sweeney is a politician from the U.S. state of New York. A Republican, he represented New York's 20th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from January 1999 to January 2007. He was defeated for reelection in November 2006 by Democrat Kirsten...
, and Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings
Gerald Jennings
Gerald David "Jerry" Jennings is the mayor of Albany, New York, United States. A Democrat, Jennings won a shocking upset in the 1993 mayoral primary over Harold Joyce, who had the Democratic Party’s formal endorsement and had only recently been its chairman. In 1993, he won the general election,...
.
Sources
Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2006. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRCExternal links
- UAlbany news release
- In Memoriam: Kermit Hall, January 2007, Perspectives, American Historical Association