James ("Jim") E. Hall (born December 21, 1941) is a lifelong public servant whose career has spanned private law and government administration.
After World War II the Hall family relocated from Nashville to Knoxville, Tennessee, where the young Jim attended public schools.
In 1954, when Hall was 13, the U.S. Supreme Court passed a landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional.
[3] In January 1956, when Hall was 15, federal judge Robert L. Taylor ordered nearby Clinton High School to desegregate with "all deliberate speed" in accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.
[6] The proximity of the controversy left an indelible impression on Jim, leading him to join the Young Democrats of America and further pursue a calling towards civic engagement.
While attending Knoxville West High School, Hall participated on the debate team, where he developed strong public speaking skills.
He also competed in football, track and wrestling, and was mentored by civics teacher and coach William H. Wright, Jr.[7] Hall served as the business manager for the high school newspaper, The West Wind, and was a commencement speaker at the 1959 graduation ceremony.
While at the University of Tennessee, Hall also helped with then-president Andrew (Andy) D. Holt’s efforts for racial integration at the school.
Upon graduation from the University of Tennessee College of Law, Hall was commissioned as First lieutenant in the United States Army Signal Corps.
[10] During his service on this subcommittee, Hall met with then Governor Ronald Reagan in California to discuss legislation on national property tax reform.
[12] McWherter won the primary,[13] avoiding negative campaign messaging against his opponents and promising to continue the work of outgoing governor Lamar Alexander.
[17] That offer came in February 1993, when he was nominated by President Bill Clinton to serve as a member and later as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), appointments that were later confirmed by the U.S.
[18] Upon leaving NTSB, among other accolades, Hall was awarded an honorary degree, Doctor of Public Service, by George Washington University.
In 2014, Hall appeared on several networks to provide insights and commentary on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down in eastern Ukraine by Russian forces and accidents involving the redesigned Boeing 737 MAX.
An integral part of that celebration was the idea proposed to McWherter by Hall and his office for the creation of the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville.
He visited more than 30 countries and oversaw a period of unprecedented activity as the NTSB investigated numerous aviation, rail, pipeline, and maritime accidents in the United States.
[49] Under Hall’s leadership the NTSB issued landmark safety studies on commuter airlines,[50] the air tourism industry,[51] the performance and use of child restraint systems,[52] personal watercraft,[53] transit bus operations, passive-grade railway crossings,[54] and the dangers posed to children by passenger-side airbags in automobiles.