Ron Paul Biography

Politician. Born Ronald Ernest Paul on August 20, 1935 and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ron Paul was the third out of five sons. As a child, he helped out in the family's dairy business. He continued working as a paper boy and later at a local drug store. In high school, Paul was a member of the track and wrestling teams and served as the president of the student council. Discovering love at an early age, He met his future wife Carol while in high school.

In his last year of college, Ron Paul married Carol. After he graduated in 1957, the couple moved to Durham, North Carolina, where Ron attended the Duke University School of Medicine. Finishing his degree in 1961, he and his young family then moved to Detroit, Michigan. There Paul did his internship and residency at Henry Ford Hospital. Serving his country, he was as a doctor in the United States Air Force from 1963 to 1965 and then with the United States Air National Guard from 1965 to 1968.

Specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, Paul opened his own practice in Texas. During the course of his career, he is said to have delivered more than 4,000 babies. In the 1970s, Paul became active in politics, making a failed Congressional bid in 1974. But he was victorious two years later in a special election to replace Representative Robert R. Casey who had resigned. That same year, he established the Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE).

His first stint in the House of Representatives was only a matter of months. He did not retain his post in the general election later that year. On his next try in 1978, however, Paul was elected and even re-elected twice. Emerging as a strong critic of the country's banking and financial systems, he began writing about his economic theories. In 1981, his book Gold, Peace and Prosperity: The Birth of a New Currency was published and was quickly followed by The Case for Gold: A Minority Report of the U.S. Gold Commission (1982). He expressed his pro-life and anti-federal government views in 1983's Abortion and Liberty.

After an unsuccessful run for the U.S. Senate against Phil Gramm in 1984, Paul was succeeded in the House of Representatives by Tom DeLay. Paul returned to his private practice, but did not stay out of politics for too long.

A career Republican, Paul jumped ship in 1988 to become the presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party. In many ways, he was a good fit for the party with his interest in lowering taxes and reducing the size of the federal government. But Paul did differ with the Libertarians over the abortion issue as the party supports personal liberty and opposes laws and other restrictions on the actions or lifestyles of individuals. While he came in third, Paul received almost 500,000 votes in the general election.

In the mid-1990s, Paul returned to the Republican Party and fought Greg Laughlin—a Democrat turned Republican—for his party's nomination for a seat in the House of Representatives. The odds were against him as Laughlin had wide support from the party and from deep-pocketed organizations such as the National Rifle Association. Despite the opposing forces, Paul was able to defeat Laughlin and win the general election in 1996. He has remained a member of the House of Representatives ever since.