Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (1905 - 1976)

Born 24 Dec 1905 in Humble, Harris, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Ella Botts (Rice) Winston — married 1925 (to 1929) in Harris, Texas, United States

Died 5 Apr 1976 at age 70 in Houston County, Texas, United States

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Biography

American business tycoon, investor, aviator, aerospace engineer, inventor, filmmaker and philanthropist.

Hughes was born near Keokuk, Iowa, on Sunday, December 24, 1905. Hughes' birth certificate (c. January 5, 1942) states he was born in Harris County, Texas. His October 1906 baptismal record from St. John's Episcopal Church however, has his birth-date listed as September 24, without reference to the birthplace. His parents were Howard R. Hughes, Sr., a successful inventor and businessman from Missouri of English descent, and Allene Stone Gano.

In 1910, Howard can be found at the Rice Hotel, 520 Main, Houston, Harris, Texas rooming with his parents.^[1]

In 1920, Howard can be found living at Harris, Texas with his parents and his Aunt.^[2]

Howard's mother died in 1922, and his father in 1924.

On June 1, 1925, Howard married Ella Rice at Houston, Texas.^[3]

In 1929, Ella filed for divorce.

Hughes was reported to have died on April 5, 1976, at 1:27 p.m. on board an aircraft owned by Robert Graf and piloted by Jeff Abrams, en route from his penthouse at the Acapulco Fairmont Princess Hotel in Mexico to the Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas.^[4]

Early romances-

In 1929, Hughes' wife, Ella, returned to Houston and filed for divorce. Hughes dated many famous women, many of them decades younger, including Billie Dove, Faith Domergue, Bette Davis, Ava Gardner, Olivia de Havilland, Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Janet Leigh, Rita Hayworth, Mamie Van Doren and Gene Tierney. He also proposed to Joan Fontaine several times, according to her autobiography No Bed of Roses. Jean Harlow accompanied him to the premiere of Hell's Angels, but Noah Dietrich wrote many years later that the relationship was strictly professional, as Hughes apparently personally disliked Harlow. In his 1971 book, Howard: The Amazing Mr. Hughes, Dietrich said that Hughes genuinely liked and respected Jane Russell, but never sought romantic involvement with her. According to Russell's autobiography, however, Hughes once tried to bed her after a party. Russell (who was married at the time) refused him, and Hughes promised it would never happen again. The two maintained a professional and private friendship for many years. Hughes remained good friends with Tierney who, after his failed attempts to seduce her, was quoted as saying "I don't think Howard could love anything that did not have a motor in it." Later, when Tierney's daughter Daria was born deaf and blind and with a severe learning disability because of Tierney's being exposed to rubella during her pregnancy, Hughes saw to it that Daria received the best medical care and paid all expenses.

Buys luxury yacht, fatal car accident-

In 1933, Hughes made a purchase of an unseen luxury steam yacht named the Rover, which was previously owned by British shipping magnate Lord Inchcape. "I have never seen the Rover but bought it on the blue prints, photographs and the reports of Lloyd's surveyors. My experience is that the English are the most honest race in the world." Hughes renamed the yacht Southern Cross and later sold her to Swedish entrepreneur Axel Wenner-Gren.

On July 11, 1936, Hughes struck and killed a pedestrian named Gabriel S. Meyer with his car at the corner of 3rd Street and Lorraine in Los Angeles. After the crash, Hughes was taken to the hospital and certified as sober, but an attending doctor made a note that Hughes had been drinking. A witness to the crash told police that Hughes was driving erratically and too fast, and that Meyer had been standing in the safety zone of a streetcar stop. Hughes was booked on suspicion of negligent homicide and held overnight in jail until his attorney, Neil S. McCarthy, obtained a writ of habeas corpus for his release pending a coroner's inquest. By the time of the coroner's inquiry, however, the witness had changed his story and claimed that Meyer had moved directly in front of Hughes' car. Nancy Bayly (Watts), who was in the car with Hughes at the time of the crash, corroborated this version of the story. On July 16, 1936, Hughes was held blameless by a coroner's jury at the inquest into Meyer's death. Hughes told reporters outside the inquiry, "I was driving slowly and a man stepped out of the darkness in front of me."

Marries Jean Peters-

On January 12, 1957, Hughes married actress Jean Peters. The couple met in the 1940s, before Peters became a film actress. They had a highly publicized romance in 1947 and there was talk of marriage, but she said she could not combine it with her career. Some later claimed that Peters was "the only woman [Hughes] ever loved," and he reportedly had his security officers follow her everywhere even when they were not in a relationship. Such reports were confirmed by actor Max Showalter, who became a close friend of Peters while shooting Niagara (1953). Showalter told in an interview that because he frequently met with Peters, Hughes' men threatened to ruin his career if he did not leave her alone.

Amature Radio Operator Call sign: W5CY^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ "Howard R. Hughes", "1910 United States Census", roomer, Rice Hotel, 520 Main, Houston, Ward 4, Harris, Texas, United States, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M29W-KVF : Fri Mar 08 19:50:18 UTC 2024), Entry for Howard R Hughes, roomer, Aline C Hughes, roomer and Howard R Hughes, roomer.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHY7-LHB : accessed 11 December 2021), Howard R Hughes, Jr in household of Howard R Hughes, Harris, Texas, United States; citing , sheet , line , family , NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll ; FHL microfilm .
3. ↑ "Texas Marriages, 1837-1973", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6YG-5N5 : 22 January 2020), Howard R. Hughes, 1925.
4. ↑ "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q592-C4DS : 18 July 2020), Howard Robard Hughes, 1976.
5. ↑ http://www.dx-qsl.com/famous-ham-radio-operators.html Famous Ham Radio Operators and their Callsigns

See Also:

• Find a Grave, database and images  : accessed 11 December 2021), memorial page for Howard Hughes (24 Dec 1905–5 Apr 1976), Find A Grave: Memorial #521, citing Glenwood Cemetery, Houston, Harris County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by Find a Grave .
• Howard Hughes

• death certificate