Gus Hall, chairman of the Communist Party, USA, is born in Virginia, Minnesota. His given name is Arvo Kusta Halberg. Hall joined the Communist Party at age sixteen and, despite his stated political views, served in the navy in World War II. He ran for president four times and spent over eight years in prison for his activities. At its peak in the 1930s, the Communist Party had about 100,000 members. Hall died on October 13, 2000.