Hall was born on October 8, 1901, in
Social Hill, Arkansas, an
unincorporated community near
Malvern, Arkansas in the
Ouachita Mountains, to John R. Hall and Elizabeth () Hall. He attended
Malvern School District and played
catcher on the baseball team. Following graduation, he attended the
University of Arkansas, earning a degree in journalism in 1924. Hall was active on campus, becoming a member of
Kappa Sigma fraternity, serving as president of the sophomore class, and editor and business manager of
The Arkansas Traveler, the UA student newspaper. He also founded the Arkansas
Booster Club. He married Nancy Pearl Johnson on October 5, 1929. Hall enrolled in the Arkansas Law School, now known as the
William H. Bowen School of Law, and began practicing law with
E. B. Dillon, representing a major oil company statewide. ==Political career==