Ron Paul

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 byGreg Laughlin
Succeeded byRandy Weber
Constituency14th district
In office
January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985
Preceded byRobert Gammage
Succeeded byTom DeLay
Constituency22nd district
In office
April 3, 1976 – January 3, 1977
Preceded byRobert R. Casey
Succeeded byRobert Gammage
Constituency22nd district
Personal details
Born
Ronald Ernest Paul

(1935-08-20) August 20, 1935 (age 89)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyLibertarian (1987–1996, 2015–present)[1]
Other political
affiliations		Republican (before 1987, 1996–2015)
Spouse
Carolyn Wells
​
(m. 1957)​
Children5, including Rand
EducationGettysburg College (BS)
Duke University (MD)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • physician
  • author
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Air Force
Years of service1963–1965
1965–1968
Rank Captain[2]
Unit
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
U.S. Representative from Texas
Presidential campaigns
Published works

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 (R-KY) in 2011.[7]

Ron Paul is a Senior Fellow and Distinguished Counselor of the Mises Institute.[8] He 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.

Paul remained active after his retirement from electoral politics, giving speeches promoting libertarian and libertarian-conservative ideas on college campuses.[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.

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Heaster, Sean. "Ron Paul". Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  3. ^ "Citizens for a Sound Economy" (PDF). Citizens for a Sound Economy. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 14, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Green, Joshua (August 5, 2011). "The Tea Party's Brain". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  6. ^ Rovner, Julie (October 25, 2011). "Before he delivered for voters, Paul delivered babies". NPR.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Faculty and Staff". Mises Institute. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  9. ^ Bedard, Paul (September 2011). "Ron Paul Says All Modern Presidents--Including Reagan--Stink". US News. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Camia, Catalina (April 29, 2013). "Ron Paul slams Boston police response to blasts". USA Today. Retrieved May 1, 2013.