[1] He was the son of Benjamin F. and Emily Hicklin Hall, though both parents died when he was ten, leaving him the family farm.

[1] Hall worked as a farm hand and for a railroad surveying crew while also receiving an education at both the Lafayette Academy and Portland High School.

[1][2] In November 1897, Hall was appointed as the United States District Attorney for Oregon by U.S. President William McKinley.

[2] He also was involved with the banking industry, owned three farms, and was an investor in power generation projects in Deschutes County.

[1] His son, John Hubert Hall, was also active in Oregon politics, serving briefly as governor following the deaths of the first three elected officials in the state's line of succession.