George Hubert Aull was born in Newberry County, South Carolina on October 16, 1899 to John Calvin Aull and Eugenia Long Aull. After taking a scholarship test in the eighth grade, Aull entered Clemson College at the age of fifteen in 1915. While attending Clemson, Aull was the Editor-in-Chief of The Tiger 1918-1919. Graduating in 1919 with a degree in Agricultural Chemistry, Aull taught agriculture at the First District A & M School in Statesboro, Georgia 1919–1920, and then agriculture, mathematics and science at the Marion High School, Marion, South Carolina 1920-1921.

Returning to Clemson in 1921, Aull accepted a position as Assistant Director for Research for the South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. As a cadet Aull had worked for the Director of the Experiment Station, Dr. Henry W. Barre, who invited him to apply for this position. Dr. Barre served as mentor to Aull and encouraged him to attend the University of Virginia where in 1928 he received a MS in Economics. Continuing his graduate training, Aull received a Rockerfeller Fellowship in 1929 to attend the University of Wisconsin. Returning to Clemson in 1930, he resumed his position with the Agricultural Experiment Station until 1934. Eventually in 1937 Aull received his PhD in Economics from Wisconsin.

In 1934, Aull served as the Senior Administrative Officer in South Carolina for the Land Policy Section of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration. Aull and Barre were largely responsible for the Clemson College Community Conservation Project that eventually added 29,000 acres of land to Clemson. Although largely responsible for the successful acquisition and implementation of the project, Aull resigned from this position. His successor was less sympathetic to Clemson and the project did not meet all its early expectations. During the 1950s seven thousand acres of this land were sold back to the Corps of Engineers for the creation of Lake Hartwell.

In the fall of 1936 Aull was appointed Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at Clemson and remained head until his retirement in 1963. Under his leadership, this department achieved national prominence in part because of Aull’s own research and teaching skills. He conducted important work related to tax equalization, rural industrialization and community development as well as writing on a large variety of topics from an economic perspective.

G. H. Aull served on numerous boards, committees and commissions during his life. He was the Governor’s appointee to the South Carolina Tax Survey Committee from 1938-1939 as well as to the Tax Study Commission from 1958-1962. He was a public member of the fourth region of the National War Labor Board during World War II. Aull also became known internationally during his career that included being a Guest of His Majesty’s Government in 1946 with the Agricultural Mission to the United Kingdom. Aull’s publications included numerous articles in journals and bulletins as well as A Brief History of the South Carolina Experiment Station and Taxation and the Ability to Pay. Following his retirement from Clemson College in 1963, Aull became Consulting Economist with the South Carolina National Bank. This included a monthly publication of a newsletter entitled The Carolina Economist that Aull wrote for five years.

While teaching in Marion, George Aull met his wife, Cleo Dobson. They married in 1922 and had two children, George Jr. and Anne.

Aull was awarded “Man of the Year” by Progressive Farmer in 1945 for service to Agriculture. He was also honored by his church and awarded Honorary Life Deacon in January of 1979. On April 8, 1988, G. H. Aull was awarded the Clemson Medallion, Clemson’s highest honor. He died of natural causes later that same year on December 16.