On The Record: Hall Nichols

For this episode of On The Record, we speak with Hall Nichols, the Nacogdoches Democratic County Chair.

How did you get started in politics? Did you come to it in your youth or later on?

I didn't turn 18 until after World War II, and I was called to be examined but never called to duty. I moved to Houston and worked in a bread factory which was union. I didn’t know the difference between Democrats and Republicans, so I asked my uncle. He said that the Democrats stood for what the Republicans used to stand for and vice versa.

I still didn’t know what that meant, but I joined the union. Ralph Yarborough came to the city auditorium in Houston to give a speech, and I went and listened and have been a Democrat ever since. I was 19, and you had to be 21 to vote back then. When I could vote I became an official Democrat. I have always been on the side of the old, the sick, the poor and people who need help.

What would you say are the primary issues concerning Nacogdoches County?

A lot of people that are voting for the Republicans shouldn’t be, based on the issues. I’ve found that the only reason they are voting with Republicans is because they’re racist. They read the newspaper and know what’s going on in the Republican agenda; they can’t be so dumb as to agree with and vote for those issues.

I’m a senior citizen here in Cushing, and in the local paper, a guy wrote in to voice his disfavor for Social Security and predicted that it would go bankrupt; I wrote back and told him the only way it’ll go away is to vote for Republicans.

Who are some of your political heroes?

Ann Richards; I got my education in politics from her and her former husband Dave.

I went to work for a motor freight part-time when I was 19, and back then the company union was there to keep the real union out. In 1960, I went to talk with an attorney about getting a union into the company. They told me how to protect myself by asking someone to carry the union, wear a button, or send a letter to my boss saying I’d be peaceful.

I found out that companies can find other ways to fire you, though. For six years they tried and couldn’t find any reason. I drove the speed limit and would still be pulled over as a way to get me fired. When I went to work, I received cautionary letters from my boss.

The company finally moved me to Dallas to the general office because they canceled my job. Dave Richards took my case and invited me over for political meetings at his home. I learned all about union organization and voting directly from the Richards. We beat the company in the end.

What advice would you give to young people just getting into politics?

I have found younger generations complaining about the price of tuition, and I wonder if they know who’s causing it. The Republicans are deregulating tuition. Most youth don’t know who’s passing the laws, and we are in a mess right now. My advice is to be responsible, and don’t disregard the truth.

What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in politics?

I believe you should always be truthful and don’t be "wishy-washy" about your beliefs. Stand up for what’s right.

What was your personal progression from the role of activist to the role of county chair?

I retired in 1990, and in 1991 I began voting in Nacogdoches County. People in the area wanted me to run for precinct chairman, but I declined initially. There was a time extension for the position and I decided to run, and I won.

When the former chair died we put in a former sheriff, and I ended up going down to hold elections and I nominated two others to be chair and they ended up nominating me.

I told the current chair I’d run against him and win. He didn’t run again but I beat the other opponent 2 to 1.