Ron Paul

Ronald Ernest Paul was born on August 20, 1935, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His early life included growing up on a dairy farm outside Pittsburgh, followed by earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from Gettysburg College in 1957. He then pursued a medical degree from Duke University, graduating in 1961. Dr. Paul served as a flight surgeon for the U.S. Air Force from 1963 to 1965 and for the Air National Guard from 1965 to 1968. In 1968, he relocated to Brazoria County, Texas, where he established a successful medical practice specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. His career as a physician spanned into the 1980s.

Paul’s political career began in 1974 an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. However, he subsequently won a special election in 1976 to complete a term for Texas’s 22nd congressional district, serving until 1977. He regained this seat from 1979 to 1985. During this early period, Paul joined the House Banking Committee, where he advocated for a return to the gold standard and was critical of Federal Reserve policies. He also founded the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE) and became the first chairman of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), organizations dedicated to promoting free-market economics and limited government. After not seeking re-election in 1984 and an unsuccessful Senate bid, he ran for president in 1988 as the Libertarian Party nominee, securing over 430,000 votes.

He returned to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican in 1997, serving Texas’s 14th congressional district until 2013. During this tenure, he was known for his voting record often diverging from his party’s majority, particularly opposing the Iraq War and the USA Patriot Act. Paul made two more bids for the U.S. presidency, seeking the Republican nomination in 2008 and 2012, gaining significant grassroots support. In 2011, he became the first U.S. representative to serve concurrently with a child in the Senate when his son, Rand Paul, was elected. After retiring from Congress in 2013, Paul has remained active in political commentary and advocacy, establishing the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and hosting “The Ron Paul Liberty Report.”