Introduction
Merlin Hull (December 18, 1870 – May 17, 1953) was a lawyer, a newspaper publisher, and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin.
Born in Warsaw, Indiana, Hull was a graduate of Gale College, De Pauw University, and Columbian University (now The George Washington University Law School). He was admitted to the bar in 1894 and commenced practice in Black River Falls. He served as publisher of the Jackson County Journal from 1904–1926 and of the merged Banner-Journal for the rest of his life (1926–1953). He served as district attorney of Jackson County from 1907–1909; he was a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1909–1915, serving as speaker in the 1913-15 session; he was elected Secretary of State in 1916, serving until 1921.
Hull was first elected (as a Republican) to the Seventy-first Congress in 1928. He represented Wisconsin's 7th congressional district. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1930 and an unsuccessful independent candidate in 1932. In 1934, Hull was once again elected to the House of Representatives this time as part of the Seventy-fourth Congress. He was elected as a member of the Progressive Party and represented Wisconsin's 9th congressional district. He was reelected to this post for the succeeding nine congresses, as a member of the Progressive Party for the first six and after the disbanding of the Wisconsin Progressive Party, as a Republican to the other four, serving continuously from January 3, 1935, until his death in La Crosse, Wisconsin on May 17, 1953.
Hull's 9th District election history
| Year | Democratic | % | Republican | % | Progressive | % | Socialist | % |
| 1934 | Willis E. Donley | 24.3% | Knute Anderson | 23.4% | Merlin Hull | 49.6% | Paul Boyd | 2.7% |
| 1936 | Edwin J. Larkin | 19.3% | No Candidate | -- | Merlin Hull | 80.7% | No Candidate | -- |
| 1938 | William F. Crane | 6.3% | Hugh M. Jones | 40.3% | Merlin Hull | 53.4% | No Candidate | -- |
| 1940 | James E. Hughes | 5.9% | John Nygaard | 41.4% | Merlin Hull | 52.8% | No Candidate | -- |
| 1942 | Jack E. Joyce | 5.6% | George H. Hipke | 32.6% | Merlin Hull | 61.8% | No Candidate | -- |
| 1944 | No Candidate | -- | No Candidate | -- | Merlin Hull | 98.5% | Adolph Maassen | 1.5% |
| 1946 | No Candidate | -- | Merlin Hull | 99% | No Candidate | -- | Adolph Maassen | 1% |
| 1948 | No Candidate | -- | Merlin Hull | 98.1% | Linton Jahr | 1.0% | Howard Hendricks | 0.9% |
| 1950 | Arthur L. Henning | 29.2% | Merlin Hull | 70.8% | No Candidate | -- | No Candidate | -- |
| 1952 | Kent L. Pillsbury | 34.8% | Merlin Hull | 65.2% | No Candidate | -- | No Candidate | -- |