David Hall was an American printer and a business partner with Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. He took over Franklin's printing business and that of publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper that Franklin had started. Hall formed his own printing firm in 1766 and did publishing for the government and printing of paper money.
Hall was apprenticed in 1729 for five years at the age of 15 to a printing firm in Scotland run by John Mosman and William Brown. Hall's friend William Strahan sent a letter to lawyer James Read of Philadelphia in January 1743 inquiring about opportunities for printers in the American colonies. Strahan first recommended Hall to his wife's cousin and described him as an honest hard working person. Read presented the letter to Benjamin Franklin, who needed a journeyman printer. Franklin sent back a letter to Strahan on July 10 inviting Hall to come to Philadelphia for a job interview. In the letter Franklin said that if Hall didn't ultimately like the position offered, he would pay his expenses back to England. Franklin offered Hall 12 months of Good Work for the trouble of coming from England and trying the journeyman printer position. Hall accepted the offer and came to Philadelphia on June 19, 1744. Hall adapted well to his new career and learned the skills of the printing trade. He became a professional in the eighteenth-century printing business which Franklin developed throughout Colonial America. Hall became very involved as a major participant in the printing business when he started working for Franklin in 1744. He became the foreman of Franklin's shop in 1746 and did all the editing and publishing of the Pennsylvania Gazette newspaper that Franklin started. Franklin considered semiretirement in 1747, since Hall was an active partner. He made Hall an official partner on an eighteen-year contract in 1748 and went on to other interests for his full retirement. The printing business became known as the Franklin and Hall firm. Franklin completed the sale of his share of the printing business to Hall in February 1766. William Sellers became a journeyman printer for Hall and was a skillful printer. In May 1766 Hall made Sellers a partner in his business. The new firm of Hall and Sellers printed all of the official documents for the government of the Province of Pennsylvania, including its paper money. Hall also had a book store connected to the printing shop that sold books and stationary that he produced.
Personal
Hall married Mary Leacock on January 7, 1748 at Christ Church in Philadelphia. They had four children.
Memberships
Hall was a member of the St. Andrews Society and printed its documents. Hall was a member of the Union Library Company that later became part of the Library Company of Philadelphia. In 1762 he was Master of a Mason lodge in Philadelphia. The American Philosophical Society made Hall a member on March 8, 1768. He did not participate except in 1771 when he was a member of a committee to set a selling price for its publication of its transactions, which he published.
