lawyer, newspaperman, politician, Congressman, b. Warsaw, Ind. He left home at the age of 15, worked on farms, learned the printer's trade, and by teaching school and working as a journeyman printer, earned his way through college. He attended Galesville (Wis.) Academy, De Pauw Univ., Greencastle, Ind., and did graduate work at Columbian Univ. (now George Washington Univ.), Washington, D.C. Admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1894, he began practice in Black River Falls. In 1904 he bought the weekly Jackson County journal, and in 1926 merged it with the Badger State Banner, continuing publication as the Black River Falls Banner-Journal until his death. A La Follette Republican, Hull was district attorney for Jackson County (1907-1909), state assemblyman (1909-1914), and Wisconsin secretary of state (1917-1921). In 1928 he was elected to Congress, and represented the 7th district (1929-1931); he was re-elected from the 9th district in 1934, and served from 1935 until his death. Hull served six terms as a Progressive, and five as a Republican. Regardless of party affiliation, he was a staunch supporter of farm legislation and the interests of his district. He made his name a household word among his constituents. Biog. Dir. Amer. Cong. (1950); Who's Who in. Amer., 27 (1953); M. M. Quaife, Wis. (4 vols., Chicago, 1924); Wis. Blue Book (1935); Madison Wis. State journal, May 18, 1953; M. Hull Papers.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Merlin Hull Papers for details.

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.

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[Source: Blue book]