Bob Hall served as a Marine, volunteering for what he calls an easy tour in Vietnam. At age 26, he graduated from college, and was elected to the Massachusetts senate, defeating a powerful Democratic incumbent by nine votes out of 60,000, in a seat not won by a Republican since 1938. He was re-elected four times by wide margins, retiring undefeated in 1982 to become an association executive. Along the way, he found time to earn a masters degree in...