Ron Paul

Ronald Paul was born August 20, 1935. He graduated with a biology degree from Gettysburg College in 1957 before getting his medical degree from Duke University. During the 1960 s, he worked as a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon. Eventually he settled in Texas and specialized in obstetrics.

During the 1960 s, Paul became interested in economics and when Nixon abolished the gold standard in 1971, Paul decided to become involved in politics out of a concern for U.S. fiscal policy. He became a delegate to the Texas Republican convention and a candidate for U.S. Congress. He lost to Robert Casey in 1974, but won the special election to fill Casey s seat when President Ford appointed Casey to a position in Washington in July of 1976. He lost the seat in the general election in November of 1976, but ran again, and won, in 1978.

While in Congress, Paul championed term limit legislation, Congressional pay decreases and refused to register for a House pension. During the four terms he served in the House during this time, he still continued to return home to Texas every week and deliver babies. He was a strong supporter of pro-life and pro-family issues.

Paul ran for U.S. Senate in 1984 instead of for re-election to the House and lost. He returned to medicine full-time while staying active with FREE, a think tank he established while in Congress. In 1988, he waged an unsuccessful presidential campaign as the candidate for the Libertarian Party. In 1996, Paul was re-elected to Congress.

Upon his return to Congress, Paul has been steadfast in his support of issues and legislation that adhered to the Constitution, created term limits, reduced the influence of lobbyists and required legislators to read legislation before voting on it. He also voted against the Iraq War Resolution, which authorized the war. He has been an outspoken critic of what he considered to be rampant government spending by both Democratic and Republican administrations.

In 2007, grassroots support prompted Paul to run for the 2008 Republican nomination for president. While he had strong fundraising, especially from individual supporters, his candidacy was largely ignored by the media. FOX News famously neglected to invite him to GOP candidate debate they hosted. He eventually dropped out of the race.

In November 2008, Paul won another term in Congress, running unopposed. He remains active in Congress, as well as with the advocacy group he founded, Campaign for Liberty. He is a popular speaker on issues affecting liberty and on limited government. He is involved in promoting a return to commodity-backed currency and sound monetary policies, as well as the abolishment of the Federal Reserve. He has not mentioned another run at the White House, but has only previously run in response to public pressure. He is active in supporting the campaigns of those politicians who share his ideology.