George Hull was born in Farmington, Connecticut, to Eliakim Hull, who moved his family to Sandisfield, Massachusetts, when George was twelve. The elder Hull opened a shop, in which his son was employed as a clerk. George Hull was educated in the local district school in Farmington prior to the family's move, but received no further formal education. He took over management of the store when he turned 21, and became prominent in local civic affairs, serving as the town's postmaster, town clerk, and in other civic posts. In addition to these activities, he owned farmland near the town center, and also operated a bank in nearby Lee.[4]
For the last ten years of his life, he was afflicted with progressive blindness. His business suffered, due in part to his political activities and the economic effects of the American Civil War, and he was forced into bankruptcy in 1862.[4]
