Ronald Paul was born on August 20, 1935, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Born to Howard and Margaret Paul, Ronald Paul is the third of five children. Paul attended Dormont High School where he participated in several extracurricular activities. He was involved in track, wrestling, and was also president of the student council. After graduating from Dormont High School in 1953, Paul continued his education at Gettysburg College where he joined the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Paul is quoted as saying, "Every fraternity has different reputations -- some were only sports, some were only the playboy types, but Lambda Chi was well-known for academics as having a lot of well-rounded people in a lot of different activities as well as sports. The fact they represented all these different areas and cared about having good grades, I thought it would be better because I wasn't into the drinking and other things some fraternities were known for." Paul also served as chapter secretary and was president of his pledge class. He graduated from Gettysburg College in 1957, receiving his Bachelors of Arts degree, and furthered his education by attending Duke University Medical Center. During this time, he married Carol Wells, who he had known since high school. In 1961, four years after his marriage, Paul obtained his medical degree.

Paul, now in his late 20s, moved with his wife to Michigan where he completed his internship at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Utilizing his physician's training, Paul served in the United States Air Force as a flight surgeon for several years (1963-1965). While in the air force, Paul reached the rank of Captain. Directly after his service in the air force, Paul worked again as a flight surgeon for the United States Air National Guard (1965-1968). After serving the nation's armed forces, Paul and his wife Carol moved to Texas, where they still reside.

Upon arriving in Texas, Paul continued his medical work. Specifically trained in obstetrics and gynecology, Paul then began his own practice. By the time Paul was in his early 30s, he decided to go into politics. Although his attempt to become a Republican representative in Congress in 1974 failed, Paul was elected two years later to the 94th Congress due to a vacancy of the position. During this time, Paul created a foundation called The Foundation for Rational Economics and Education (FREE). The foundation describes itself as, a non-profit, non-partisan, educational foundation dedicated to public education on the principles of free market economics, sound money and limited government.

Having strong opinions regarding issues such as abortion and currency problems, Paul was influenced to write and publish several books. His books contain his perspectives on many controversial topics that affect the United States. On the subject of abortion, Paul says, I am strongly pro-life but is also in favor of stem cell research. Paul is also an advocate of returning to a gold standard. Paul asserts that, we are in the process of a failing dollar. ... So, yes, I want to restore integrity to the money, not be a counterfeiter. My proposal is not to close the Federal Reserve down and go back to the 19th century, it's just to legalize that which the founders consider(ed) very important. These political views have marked Paul as both a Republican and a Libertarian.

After his service on the 94th Congress, Paul was defeated for a seat in the 95th congress. He was not elected back to congress until January 3, 1979. He held this position until 1984 when he decided not to run for re-election because of his belief in limited terms. That same year, Paul ran for the Senate as a Republican from Texas, but he was beaten by Phil Gramm. In 1988, Paul revealed his progress as a politician by contending in the presidential election. An advocate of lower taxes, and the right to bear arms, Paul was selected as the Libertarian candidate for president. He lost the election to the George H. W. Bush, the Republican candidate, who became the 41st president of the United States. After his loss, Paul gave up on politics and resumed his profession as a doctor. It was not until 1997 that Paul re-entered the political scene. He was re-elected to the House of Representatives as a Republican for the 14th district of Texas which he still serves.

Currently, Paul is an active member in politics. He is involved in a variety of committees such as the International Committee, the Financial Service Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee. Paul's political career has also provided him with many awards. He has been honored by many different organizations such as the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) and the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) for his service. Not only does Paul have the honor of a respected political figure, he has also been blessed with five children to his wife Carol. He has three sons and two daughters. Paul is now also has the grandfather of 17 grandchildren.

Recently, Paul ran in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries. Before ending his campaign for the Republican nomination, Paul raised over $32 million and received 24 pledged delegates. Quoted by the Public Broadcasting Service, Paul stated, I have been encouraged and I think a lot of people want to hear my message. I'm willing to deliver it. Paul has even created an organization dedicated to promoting his political views. Paul's Campaign for Liberty is an organization with the intentions of a return to the principles our Founders taught us. Paul has gained much support throughout his career and still remains a popular politician even today. On May 13th, 2011, Paul announced that he would be running for the 2012 GOP Presidential Nomination. Paul?s platform is primarily based cutting government spending, lowering taxes to as little as zero percent, and restoring the value of the American currency, all while adhering to the laws of the Constitution. As of February 2012, Paul was one of four candidates still in the running for the GOP nomination.