William Pettus Hobby was born in Moscow, Tex., in Polk County, on March 26, 1878. His family moved to Houston in 1892 when his father, a county judge, failed to be re‐elected. The son ran for office three times and never lost. The first time was in 1914, when he was elected Lieutenant Governor, as the running mate of James E. Ferguson. Mr. Hobby found himself Governor—in the midst of a war, a drought and a political scandal. Nevertheless, Governor Hobby pressed successfully for a progressive legislative program, including women's suffrage and drought relief. Resisting pressures to run for the Senate, he returned to The Beaumont Enterprise in 1921. Three years later, he was part of a syndicate that pur chased The Houston Post. In 1939, he bought the newspaper outright. In 1929, Mr. Hobby's first wife, the former Willie Cooper, died. Two years later he married Miss Oveta Culp, who was parliamentarian for the Texas House. With Mr. Hobby at his death was his widow, Mrs. Oveta Culp Hobby, president and editor of The Post and first Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, in the Eisenhower Administration. Other survivors include his son, William P. Hobby Jr., ex ecutive editor and executive vice president of The Post, and his daughter, Mrs. Henry Edward Catto Jr, of San Antonio.
| Types | Person, Political Candidate, Elected Representative, Business Person, Public Official |