Katie Hall

Katie Hall
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 1st district
In office November 2, 1982 – January 3, 1985
Preceded by	Adam Benjamin, Jr.
Succeeded by	Pete Visclosky
Personal details
Born	Katie Beatrice Green (1938-04-03)April 3, 1938 Mound Bayou, Mississippi
Died	Gary, Indiana
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Gary, Indiana
Alma mater	Mississippi Valley State University Indiana University, Bloomington

Katie Beatrice Hall (April 3, 1938 – February 20, 2012), served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1982 to 1985.

Education

Katie Beatrice Green was born in Mound Bayou, Bolivar County, Mississippi. She attended the public schools of Mound Bayou. Hall received a B.S. from Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena, Mississippi in 1960 and an M.S. from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana in 1968.

Career

Hall served as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives 1974–1976 and a member of the Indiana Senate 1976–1982. She was a delegate to the Democratic Mini Convention in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1978. Hall chaired the Indiana State Democratic convention in 1980. Following the sudden death of Congressman Adam Benjamin, Jr. in September 1982, Hall won a special election to fill the vacancy. She was appointed the Democratic nominee over more experienced candidates by mayor of Gary, Indiana who was also serving as the head of the 1st District's Democratic committee. She would go on to defeat the Republican candidate (who spent just $10,000 in his campaign) in the 1982 general election by 56% to 43%. Hall ultimately served as a Democrat in the last months the 97th Congress and the entire term of the 98th Congress. Hall led the Capitol Hill drive to make Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday a national holiday. On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law.

In 1984, she faced two candidates, former Benjamin aide Peter Visclosky and Lake County prosecutor Jack Crawford. Visclosky prevailed with 34% to Hall's 33% and Crawford's 31%. Following her defeat she became vice chair of the Gary, Indiana Housing Board of Commissioners.

She later served as City Clerk of Gary, Indiana from 1985 to 1993. In both 1988 and 1990 she made unsuccessful attempts against Visclosky in the Democratic primaries.

In May 2002 City Clerk Hall, and her daughter, Chief Deputy Clerk Junifer Hall, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, extortion, and mail fraud. Junifer Hall was also charged with five counts of perjury. Katie Hall eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to house arrest and probation. Junifer Hall was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison.

Katie Hall died on February 20, 2012 at 11:23 A.M., of heart failure.

Bibliography

Catlin, Robert A. “Organizational Effectiveness and Black Political Participation: The Case of Katie Hall.” Phylon 46 (September 1985): 179–192.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• Katie Hall at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Adam Benjamin, Jr.	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 1st congressional district November 2, 1982 – January 3, 1985	Succeeded by Pete Visclosky