William Augustus Hall was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

. He is the brother of Governor and Representative Willard Preble Hall

Willard Preble Hall

William Willard Preble Hall was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 17th Governor of Missouri from 1864 to 1865 during last years of the American Civil War.-Early years:...

 and also the father of Representative Uriel Sebree Hall

Uriel Sebree Hall

Uriel Sebree Hall was a U.S. Representative from Missouri, son of William Augustus Hall and nephew of Willard Preble Hall....

.

Early years

Born in Portland, Maine

Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

, on October 15, 1815, Hall moved with his family to Harpers Ferry, Virginia at a young age and attended the local schools there. He attended Yale College

Yale College

Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...

, relocated to Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

 in 1840, and was admitted to the bar there in 1841.

Political life

Hall was a Captain in the U.S.-Mexican War.

He served as judge of the Circuit Court in Missouri from 1847–1861, and as delegate to the Missouri Constitutional Convention in 1861. That same year he was elected to the 37th Congress as a replacement for John Bullock Clark

John Bullock Clark

John Bullock Clark, Sr. was a member of both the United States Congress and the Confederate Congress.-Biography:...

, who had been expelled from Congress for taking up arms against the United States. He was elected on his own merit in 1862 and served from January 20 , 1862 until March 4, 1865. He did not seek an additional term in 1864.

He served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1864.

Later years

After his term in Congress ended, Hall returned to the practice of law. He died near Darksville, Missouri on December 15, 1888, and was buried in a family plot.