Ron Paul facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ron Paul
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Paul in 2023
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas |
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| In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Greg Laughlin |
| Succeeded by | Randy Weber |
| Constituency | 14th district |
| In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1985 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Gammage |
| Succeeded by | Tom DeLay |
| Constituency | 22nd district |
| In office April 3, 1976 – January 3, 1977 |
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| Preceded by | Robert R. Casey |
| Succeeded by | Robert Gammage |
| Constituency | 22nd district |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ronald Ernest Paul
August 20, 1935 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Libertarian (1987–1996, 2015–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Republican (before 1987, 1996–2015) |
| Spouse |
Carolyn Wells
(m. 1957) |
| Children | 5, including Rand |
| Education | Gettysburg College (BS) Duke University (MD) |
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| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1963–1965 1965–1968 |
| Rank |  Captain |
| Unit |
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Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, physician, and retired politician. He served as a U.S. representative for Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives for three different periods. These were from 1976 to 1977, 1979 to 1985, and 1997 to 2013. He also ran for president three times. First, he ran as the Libertarian Party candidate in 1988. Later, he ran as a Republican Party candidate in 2008 and 2012.
Paul describes himself as a "constitutionalist." This means he believes the government should strictly follow the U.S. Constitution. He has often criticized certain government policies. These include the Federal Reserve (the U.S. central bank) and how taxes are handled. He also spoke out against the military–industrial complex (the link between the military and defense companies), the war on drugs, and the war on terror. He was also against mass surveillance, like the Patriot Act and NSA surveillance programs.
In 1976, Paul started the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE). This group promotes free-market ideas and limited government. He also helped lead Citizens for a Sound Economy, another group with similar goals. Many people see him as a key thinker behind the Tea Party movement. This movement, popular around 2009, supports fiscally conservative ideas. This means they want less government spending and lower taxes. They are also generally against interventionism, which means getting involved in other countries' affairs.
Before politics, Paul was a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force from 1963 to 1968. He also worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist (a doctor who delivers babies and cares for women's health) from the 1960s to the 1980s. His son, Rand Paul, became a U.S. Senator in 2011. This made Ron Paul the first U.S. Representative to serve at the same time as his child in the Senate. After leaving Congress, Paul continued to share his ideas. He is a Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute. He has written books and promoted the ideas of economists from the Austrian School.
After his 2008 presidential campaign, Paul decided not to run for Congress again in 2012. He wanted to focus on his 2012 presidential bid. He did not officially support the Republican candidates, John McCain in 2008 or Mitt Romney in 2012. He continued to be active in politics after retiring. He gives speeches about libertarian ideas. He also co-hosts a web show called The Ron Paul Liberty Report on YouTube. In the 2016 presidential election, he received one electoral vote from a Texas elector. This made him the oldest person to ever receive an Electoral College vote.
Contents
Early Life and Medical Career
Ronald Ernest Paul was born on August 20, 1935, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father, Howard Caspar Paul, ran a small dairy company. His mother was Margaret Paul. He has four brothers.
Paul was a talented athlete in high school. He was the state champion in the 200-meter dash. He attended Gettysburg College and earned a degree in Biology in 1957.
He then went to Duke University's School of Medicine. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1961. He completed his medical training in Detroit and Pittsburgh. Paul served as a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1965. He then served in the United States Air National Guard until 1968. After his military service, he moved to Texas. There, he started his own private practice as an obstetrician and gynecologist. He even helped deliver the famous Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla.
Early Congressional Career (1976–1985)
While training to be a doctor in the 1960s, Paul read books that shaped his thinking. He was especially influenced by Friedrich Hayek's The Road to Serfdom. This led him to read other works by economists like Ludwig von Mises and Ayn Rand. He became friends with economists Hans Sennholz and Murray Rothbard. He credits them with sparking his interest in economics.
In 1971, President Richard Nixon made a big change to the U.S. dollar. He ended its direct link to gold. This event, known as the "Nixon shock," made Paul decide to enter politics. He ran as a Republican for the United States Congress.
Congressional Elections
In 1974, Paul ran for Congress in the 22nd district but lost. However, the person who won, Robert R. Casey, later left the position. Paul then won a special election in April 1976 to fill the empty seat.
He lost the next regular election by a very small number of votes. But he won a rematch in 1978 and was reelected in 1980 and 1982. One reason for his popularity was that he had delivered many babies in the area.
Time in Congress
Paul served in Congress during three different periods. His first time was from 1976 to 1977. Then, he served from 1979 to 1985. Finally, he returned from 1997 to 2013.
In his early years, Paul was on the House Banking Committee. He often blamed the Federal Reserve for inflation (when prices go up). He also spoke out against bad banking practices. Paul wanted the U.S. to return to the gold standard. This system linked the value of the dollar to gold. He also opposed bringing back the military draft in 1980.
During his first term, Paul started the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE). This group works to promote ideas of limited government and free-market economics. In 1984, he became the first chairman of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE). This group was founded to fight for less government, lower taxes, and fewer rules. CSE later played a big role in the Tea Party movement.
Paul often suggested laws to limit how long politicians could serve. However, he himself served four terms in the House. In 1984, he decided to leave the House to run for the U.S. Senate. He felt that special interests had too much power in Washington. He lost the Republican primary election for the Senate. After he left, Tom DeLay took over his House seat.
Libertarian Party and Other Work
1985–1997
After losing the 1984 Senate race, Paul went back to his medical practice. He also started other businesses. He co-founded a company called Ron Paul & Associates, Inc. This company published newsletters about politics and investing.
Paul also co-owned a coin dealership for twelve years. He worked with his Foundation for Rational Economics and Education. They created public policy shows for TV channels like the Discovery Channel.
1988 Presidential Campaign
In 1987, Paul left the Republican Party. He then ran for president as the candidate for the Libertarian Party.
In the 1988 election, Paul was on the ballot in 46 states. He finished third in the popular vote. Paul said his campaign was not just about winning. He wanted to spread his libertarian ideas, especially to young people. He believed these ideas would be important for future generations.
Paul thought about running for president again in 1992. But he decided to support Pat Buchanan instead. He even advised Buchanan's campaign.
Later Congressional Career (1997–2013)
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Elections
Paul was re-elected to Congress in 1996 after a tough campaign. He got help from famous people like baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan. He won against the Democratic candidate, Charles "Lefty" Morris.
He continued to win elections in 1998, 2000, 2008, and 2010. In 2008, he won with over 70 percent of the vote and ran unopposed in the general election.
On July 12, 2011, Paul announced he would not seek re-election to the House. He wanted to focus on his 2012 presidential election campaign.
Time in Congress
Paul sponsored many bills during his time in Congress. Only one of his bills was signed into law. This bill allowed a federal building to be sold to a local historical group.
However, he helped change other laws. He helped stop money from being used for national ID numbers. He also helped prevent federal funding for teacher certification. He worked to keep the U.S. military out of the International Criminal Court. He also helped stop American involvement in any U.N. global tax. He also worked to protect peaceful First Amendment activities from surveillance.
In 1997, Paul was one of 18 Republicans who supported an effort to investigate President Bill Clinton for possible impeachment. He later voted to impeach Clinton in 1998. Paul said he voted to impeach based on Clinton's military actions, not the Lewinsky scandal.
Paul was an honorary chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus. This group aims to elect politicians who support liberty and limited government. He was also a member of other groups in Congress, like the Congressional Rural Caucus.
Committee Work
Paul served on important committees in Congress.
- Committee on Financial Services
- Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology (Chairman)
- Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
When the Republican Party gained control of the House in 2011, Paul became the chairman of the Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology. His time in Congress ended on January 3, 2013.
2008 Presidential Campaign
Paul officially announced he was running for president on March 12, 2007. Few major politicians supported him. Traditional news media largely ignored his campaign. However, he gained a very strong following online. His supporters used social media to spread his message. In 2007, his name was one of the most searched terms on blog sites. His campaign also claimed he had more YouTube subscribers than other candidates. He raised a lot of money from individual donors.
Despite this support, Paul did not win many primary votes. He finished 5th in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. He did better in Nevada, coming in 2nd. But in most other states, he got only 3–6% of the votes.
By March, John McCain had enough delegates to win the Republican nomination. Paul knew he could not win. He had far fewer delegates than McCain. But he refused to give up or support McCain. His supporters often disagreed with other Republicans at party meetings.
On June 12, 2008, Paul ended his campaign for the Republican nomination. He said he couldn't run as a third-party candidate. This was because he had signed agreements to get on ballots in some states. Some of his remaining campaign money went to a group called Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty.
Endorsing Other Candidates
On September 10, 2008, Paul announced he supported four third-party candidates. These were Cynthia McKinney (Green Party), Bob Barr (Libertarian Party), Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party), and Ralph Nader (independent). He said they all agreed on balancing budgets, bringing troops home, and protecting privacy.
Paul stated he would not support John McCain (Republican) or Barack Obama (Democrat). He felt there were no real differences between them. He urged voters to support third-party candidates as a protest. Later, he decided to specifically endorse Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate.
Paul received a small number of votes in the general election.
2012 Presidential Campaign
Paul won some early polls for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. He officially announced his candidacy on May 13, 2011. He placed second in the 2011 Ames Straw Poll. He said he would consider former judge Andrew Napolitano as his running mate if nominated.
Iowa and New Hampshire
Paul finished third in the Iowa Republican Caucus on January 3, 2012. He received 21% of the votes. Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney were tied for first place. In the New Hampshire primary on January 10, 2012, Paul came in second with 23% of the votes.
Other States
Paul's results then dropped. He finished fourth in South Carolina and Florida. He came in third in Nevada. He also placed third in Colorado and Missouri. He did better in Minnesota, finishing second.
On May 14, Paul's campaign announced he would no longer actively campaign. This was due to a lack of funds. He still competed for delegates in states where primaries had already happened.
Political Party Choices
Paul represented his district as a Republican throughout his time in Congress. However, he often disagreed with his party's leaders. He sometimes wondered if he truly belonged in the party. He supported Ronald Reagan's presidential campaigns in 1976 and 1980.
After Reagan became president in 1980, Paul became disappointed. He was the only Republican to vote against Reagan's budget proposals in 1981. He felt the Republican Party was not serious about reducing government size.
By 1987, Paul decided to leave the Republican Party. He explained his reasons in a strong letter. He said Reagan and the Republicans had caused huge government debt. He felt the party had lost its credibility. A month later, he announced he would run for president as a Libertarian. During that campaign, he called Reagan "a dramatic failure." He said he had always been a libertarian at heart.
Paul returned to his medical practice after the 1988 election. But in 1996, he decided to run for Congress again as a Republican. He said he had never fully read the Libertarian platform in 1988. He preferred to call himself a "constitutionalist." He said his oath was to the Constitution, not any party platform.
In his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, Paul criticized both major parties. He felt they were too similar and didn't want real change. He refused to endorse the Republican nominees. He warned that if the Republican Party's policies were the same as the Democrats', he would have a problem. He felt he couldn't tell his supporters to back someone who disagreed with his core beliefs.
Political Ideas
Domestic Issues
Paul supports constitutional rights, like the right to keep and bear arms (gun rights). He also supports habeas corpus for political prisoners. This means people must be brought before a judge to decide if their imprisonment is lawful. He was one of only three Republicans in the House to vote against the Patriot Act. This law expanded government surveillance powers after 9/11.
Paul is against federal use of torture and a national identification card. He also opposes warrantless domestic surveillance and the military draft. He has called for closing the TSA. He believes airline security should be handled by private companies. Paul thinks the idea of separation of church and state is often misused. He believes it has led to the government limiting religious freedom.
After the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Paul criticized the police response. He called it a "military-style occupation of an American city."
Economic Issues
Paul supports Austrian School economics. He has written several books on the topic. He often voted against new government spending, programs, or taxes. He promised never to raise taxes. He also says he has never voted to approve a budget deficit.
Paul believes the U.S. could get rid of the individual income tax. He thinks this could happen by reducing federal spending to 2000 levels. He believes government could be funded mainly by excise taxes and fair tariffs. He wants to eliminate most federal government agencies. He calls them unnecessary.
In 2011, Paul was one of only four Republicans to vote against Paul Ryan's budget plan.
Paul has consistently warned about hyperinflation (very fast price increases). He has called for a return to the gold standard since 1981. From 1999 until he retired, he introduced bills to eliminate the Federal Reserve System. He wrote a book about this called End the Fed.
Paul strongly supports free trade. He believes it can help solve conflicts worldwide. However, he rejects membership in trade agreements like North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization. He calls them "managed trade." He has also pushed for open trade and better relations with Cuba. In 2012, Paul argued that sanctions often hurt people and backfire.
He sees ending wars and lowering military spending as an "economic issue." He believes the U.S. would save a lot of money by not being involved in overseas conflicts.
Climate Change
Paul is a free-market environmentalist. He believes private property rights can help protect the environment and prevent pollution. He does not agree with the scientific consensus on climate change. In a 2009 interview, he claimed that global warming is a hoax.
Healthcare
Paul believes "The government shouldn't be in the medical business." He wants to remove federal involvement in health care. He argues this would lower prices due to free market competition. He also opposes federal government flu inoculation programs.
Immigration
Paul supports stronger border security. He opposes welfare for illegal immigrants and birthright citizenship. He voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006. However, in 2019, he disagreed with President Donald Trump's idea for a border wall. He said, "I don't like walls."
Ballots and Voting
He strongly supports making it easier for third-party candidates to get on ballots. He has tried to repeal the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
Secession
Paul has said that secession (a state leaving the United States) "is a deeply American principle." He believes that if states cannot leave, there is nothing to stop the federal government from taking away liberties. He wrote these comments in one of his last statements as a member of Congress. This was after many petitions for secession were sent to the White House in 2012.
Social Issues
Paul supports states' rights. This means he believes states should decide how to regulate social matters not directly mentioned in the Constitution. He opposes federal rules on things like the death penalty (though he personally opposes it), education, and marriage. Regarding same-sex marriage, he said in 2011 that government should not be involved. He believes it should be a private matter.
Paul criticized the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He argued it allowed federal interference in the job market and did not improve race relations. Paul opposes affirmative action.
Cryptocurrency
Paul says he is not sure if bitcoin will replace the dollar. But he believes it should be legal. He attends bitcoin and cryptocurrency conferences. He feels the current financial system is in trouble. He believes people should have the right to create new money systems.
After Congress
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In April 2013, Paul started the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. This group promotes his ideas about not getting involved in other countries' affairs. It is part of his larger Foundation for Rational Economics and Education. In the same month, he began offering the Ron Paul Curriculum. This is an online homeschool program.
In June 2013, Paul criticized the NSA surveillance program. He praised Edward Snowden for revealing the truth about government spying. In April 2015, Paul started appearing in commercials. He warned about a coming financial crisis. He predicted another market downturn in March 2017.
Paul criticized President Trump's plans to send more troops to Afghanistan. He felt Americans did not see Afghanistan as a threat. He also called for Trump to bring American troops home from Syria. He continues to share his views on foreign policy.
In 2013, Paul launched the Ron Paul Channel, an Internet broadcast. In 2015, he started a new Internet program. He co-hosts The Ron Paul Liberty Report with Daniel McAdams.
2016 Presidential Election
Paul supported his son, Senator Rand Paul, in the 2016 Republican primary. He campaigned for him in Iowa. After his son left the race, Paul said no other candidate truly held libertarian views. He expressed disappointment in Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party nominee. He suggested that Jill Stein of the Green Party might be a better choice for progressive voters. He made it clear he was not officially endorsing her.
Paul received one electoral vote from a Texas elector in the 2016 election. This made him the oldest person to ever receive an electoral vote. He was also the second Libertarian Party member to receive an electoral vote.
2020 Presidential Election
In the 2020 Democratic primary, Paul called Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard "the most intelligent" and "the very, very best" option. He liked her views on foreign policy. He noted they might not agree on economics.
2024 Presidential Election
In April 2023, Paul praised then-Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his show. He liked Kennedy's views on noninterventionism and his criticism of the pharmaceutical industry and crony corporatism. Paul said Kennedy's "baggage is telling the truth." He supported Kennedy's participation in presidential debates.
Personal Life
Paul has been married to Carolyn Wells since 1957. They met in 1952. They have five children: Ronald, Lori, Randal, Robert, and Joy. Their children were baptized Episcopalian. Paul's son Randal (Rand) is a U.S. Senator for Kentucky. Paul was raised a Lutheran but later became a Baptist.
Since 1995, Carol Paul has published the Ron Paul Family Cookbook. It is a collection of recipes. It was sold to help support Ron Paul's political campaigns. A 2012 film called Ron Paul Uprising is about his life and career. Paul and his wife live in Lake Jackson, Texas.
On September 25, 2020, Paul was hospitalized after having trouble speaking during a live event. He later posted on Twitter that he was "doing fine." In April 2021, his co-host Daniel McAdams announced that Paul's daughter, Lori Pyeatt, had recently passed away.
Media Relating to Ron Paul
Books
- Ron Paul: Father of the Tea Party, by Jason Rink, 2011
- Ron Paul's rEVOLution: The Man and the Movement He Inspired, by Brian Doherty, 2012
Films
- The Housing Bubble, a 2018 documentary starring Ron Paul. It shows clips of his past predictions.
- America: Freedom to Fascism, 2006 film with an interview from Paul.
- American Drug War: The Last White Hope, 2007 documentary where Paul has a small appearance.
- I.O.U.S.A., 2008 documentary featuring Paul.
- Brüno, 2009 film by Sacha Baron Cohen where Paul has a small appearance.
- An Inconvenient Tax, 2010 documentary featuring Paul.
- Ron Paul Uprising, 2012 film about Paul and his presidential campaign.
- Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who Is John Galt?, 2014 film where Paul has a small appearance.
See Also
In Spanish: Ron Paul para niños
- Criticism of the Federal Reserve
- Draft Ron Paul movement
- Libertarian Republican
- List of peace activists
- List of politicians affiliated with the Tea Party movement
- Paulville, Texas
- Students for Ron Paul
