This article is about the former U.S. Representative from Texas. For his son, see Rand Paul.
Ron Paul
Paul in 2023
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by
Greg Laughlin
Succeeded by
Randy Weber
Constituency
14th district
In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985
Preceded by
Robert Gammage
Succeeded by
Tom DeLay
Constituency
22nd district
In office April 3, 1976 – January 3, 1977
Preceded by
Robert R. Casey
Succeeded by
Robert Gammage
Constituency
22nd district
Personal details
Born
Ronald Ernest Paul
(1935-08-20) August 20, 1935 (age 88) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party
Libertarian (1987–1996, 2015–present)[1]
Other political affiliations
Republican (before 1987, 1996–2015)
Spouse
Carolyn Wells
(m. 1957)
Children
5, including Rand
Education
Gettysburg College (BS) Duke University (MD)
Occupation
Politician
physician
author
Signature
Website
Official website
Military service
Allegiance
United States
Branch/service
United States Air Force
Years of service
1963–1965 1965–1968
Rank
Captain[2]
Unit
Air National Guard
Texas Air National Guard
Ron Paul's voice
Paul gives a speech criticizing the country's interventionist foreign policy Recorded October 17, 2003
This article is part of a series about
Ron Paul
Political positions
Electoral history
Campaign for Liberty
F.R.E.E
Early life and career
U.S. Representative from Texas
Early congressional career (1976–1985)
Later congressional career (1997–2013)
Presidential campaigns
1988 presidential campaign
2008 presidential campaign
2012 presidential campaign
Published works
A Foreign Policy of Freedom
The Revolution: A Manifesto
End the Fed
Liberty Defined
List of legislation sponsored by Ron Paul
Young Americans for Liberty
Draft Ron Paul movement
Ron Paul newsletters
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t
e
Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, physician and retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1985, as well as for Texas's 14th congressional district from 1997 to 2013. On three occasions, he sought the presidency of the United States: as the Libertarian Party nominee in 1988 and as a candidate for the Republican Party in 2008 and 2012.
A self-described constitutionalist, Paul is a critic of several of the federal government's policies, especially the existence of the Federal Reserve and tax policy, as well as the military–industrial complex, the war on drugs, and the war on terror. He has also been a vocal critic of mass surveillance policies such as the Patriot Act and the NSA surveillance programs. In 1976, Paul formed the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE), and in 1985 was named the first chairman of the conservative PAC Citizens for a Sound Economy, both free-market groups focused on limited government.[3] He has been characterized as the "intellectual godfather" of the Tea Party movement, a fiscally conservative political movement started in 2007 and popularized in 2009 that is largely against most matters of interventionism.[4][5]
Paul served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force from 1963 to 1968, and worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist from the 1960s to the 1980s.[6] He became the first Representative in history to serve concurrently with a child in the Senate when his son, Rand Paul, became United States Senator from Kentucky in 2011.[7] Ron Paul is a Senior Fellow and Distinguished Counselor of the Mises Institute,[8] and has published a number of books and promoted the ideas of economists of the Austrian School such as Murray Rothbard, Friedrich Hayek, and Ludwig von Mises during his political campaigns. He has cited President Grover Cleveland as a preferred model of governance.[9]
After the popularity and grassroots enthusiasm of his 2008 presidential bid, Paul announced in July 2011 that he would not seek reelection to Congress in order to focus on his 2012 bid for the presidency.[10] Finishing in the top four with delegates in both races (while winning four states in the 2012 primaries), he refused to endorse the Republican nominations of John McCain and Mitt Romney during their respective 2008 and 2012 campaigns against Barack Obama. In May 2012, Paul announced that he would not be competing in any other presidential primaries but that he would still compete for delegates in states where the primary elections had already been held.[11] At both the 2008 and 2012 Republican National Conventions, Paul received the second-highest number of delegates behind only McCain and Romney respectively.
In January 2013, Paul retired from Congress but remained active on college campuses, giving speeches promoting libertarian and libertarian-conservative ideas.[12][13] He also continues to provide political commentary through The Ron Paul Liberty Report, a web show he co-hosts on YouTube. At 81, and despite not running, Paul received one electoral vote from a Texas faithless elector in the 2016 presidential election, making him the oldest person to receive an Electoral College vote, as well as the second registered Libertarian presidential candidate in history to receive an electoral vote, after John Hospers in 1972.
^Lau, Ryan (February 3, 2018). "Ron Paul Attacks Libertarian Leadership in Response to Controversy". 71Republic. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2018. I paid my lifetime membership, in 1987, with a gold coin, to make a point.
^Heaster, Sean. "Ron Paul". Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
^"Citizens for a Sound Economy" (PDF). Citizens for a Sound Economy. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 14, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
^Smith, James F. (December 16, 2007). "Ron Paul's tea party for dollars". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
^Green, Joshua (August 5, 2011). "The Tea Party's Brain". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
^Rovner, Julie (October 25, 2011). "Before he delivered for voters, Paul delivered babies". NPR.
^Douglas, William (January 5, 2011). "Father watches with pride as Rand Paul becomes U.S. senator". The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
^"Faculty and Staff". Mises Institute. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
^Bedard, Paul (September 2011). "Ron Paul Says All Modern Presidents--Including Reagan--Stink". US News. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
^Trygstad, Kyle (July 12, 2011). "Ron Paul to Retire from Congress". Roll Call. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
^Dinan, Stephen (May 14, 2012). "Ron Paul ends his hunt for votes". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
^Molly K., Hooper. "Retiring Ron Paul to make his case for liberty on college campuses next year". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 21, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
^Camia, Catalina (April 29, 2013). "Ron Paul slams Boston police response to blasts". USA Today. Retrieved May 1, 2013.
a child in the Senate when his son, Rand Paul, became United States Senator from Kentucky in 2011. RonPaul is a Senior Fellow and Distinguished Counselor...
The political positions of RonPaul (R-Tex.), United States presidential candidate in 1988, 2008, and 2012, are generally described as libertarian, but...
In early 2007, RonPaul, a congressman from Texas, announced his candidacy for the Republican Party's nomination for president of the United States in...
presidential candidate and 12-term U.S. representative from Texas, RonPaul. Paul describes himself as a constitutional conservative and supporter of...
From 2011 to 2012, RonPaul, a U.S. representative from Texas, unsuccessfully ran for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for the president of the United...
Beginning in 1978, for more than two decades, RonPaul – American physician, libertarian activist, congressman, and presidential candidate – published...
e-mails from around the world. Schiff's campaign received endorsements from RonPaul and Steve Forbes. At the May 2010 Republican convention, Linda McMahon...
candidate RonPaul. The story again became prominent in the 2012 presidential election. It was later claimed by television station WXIX that RonPaul was not...
is a bibliography of books and other works written by U.S. Congressman RonPaul. "Evaluation of Renal Biopsy in Pregnancy Toxemia", with Terry Hayashi...
2011). "The Surprising Rise of Rep. RonPaul". Fox News. Vogel, Kenneth P. (December 17, 2007). "Money bomb': RonPaul raises $6 million in 24-hour period"...
were dismissed. On September 2, 2008, Kokesh spoke at RonPaul's Rally for the Republic in St. Paul, Minnesota. On May 28, 2011, Kokesh and other activists...
doctrinaire way." McArdle has been critical of the libertarian politician RonPaul, taking him to task for not strongly disavowing racist statements that...
seminars in shady hotels). Brittain's popular celebrity impressions included RonPaul, James Franco, and Johnny Depp. Brittain's uncle, Bob Newhart hosted SNL...
Giuliani, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and Texas Representative RonPaul announced their candidacies on January 28, February 5, February 13, and...
chief of staff to Congressman RonPaul from 1978 to 1982, and was a founding officer and former vice president at RonPaul & Associates, which published...
2011, Ventura expressed interest in running with RonPaul in the 2012 presidential election if Paul would run as an independent. On November 4, 2011,...
repeal of Proposition 227. He was endorsed by former U.S. Representative RonPaul. In the final result, he gained 64,698 votes (1.3%). An investor in The...
Santorum, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and Texas congressman RonPaul, among other candidates. The campaigns focused heavily on domestic issues...
associated with the Paul family, having served as a campaign manager for both RonPaul and Rand Paul. He is married to Valori Pyeatt, RonPaul's granddaughter...
presidential candidate RonPaul in 2008 and played before one of Paul's speeches at the University of Texas. Vaughan also opened for RonPaul's keynote address...
Congressman RonPaul. Early supporters of the institute included economist F. A. Hayek, writer Henry Hazlitt, economist Murray Rothbard, RonPaul, and libertarian...
which was founded in 1971, including politicians such as David Nolan and RonPaul. The right-libertarianism associated with people such as Murray Rothbard...
RonPaul?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018. Falcone, Michael (February 12, 2011). "Ron Paul...
The Paul & Young Ron Show was a morning radio program starring Paul Castronovo and "Young" Ron Brewer, broadcast on WBGG-FM in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale...