Preceded by James E. Ferguson Political party Democratic Role Former Governor of Texas Succeeded by Pat Morris Neff | Preceded by William Harding Mayes Name William Hobby Party Democratic Party Children William P. Hobby, Jr. | |
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Lieutenant Vacant
Willard Arnold Johnson Born March 26, 1878
Moscow, Texas ( 1878-03-26 ) Died June 7, 1964, Houston, Texas, United States Spouse Oveta Culp Hobby (m. 1931) Previous office Governor of Texas (1917–1921) | ||
William Pettus Hobby (March 26, 1878 – June 7, 1964) was the publisher of the Houston Post and the 27th Governor of the U.S. state of Texas from 1917 to 1921.
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Biography
Born in Moscow, Texas, Hobby became a circulation clerk for the Post in 1895 and was promoted to business writer in August 1901. In 1907 he left the Post to become manager and part owner of the Beaumont Enterprise, and he acquired the entire paper shortly thereafter.
Hobby was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1914 and after James Edward Ferguson was removed from office in 1917, he became the youngest governor in the history of the state up to that point. Hobby soundly defeated Ferguson in the 1918 Democratic primary and won the governorship in his own right. He returned to the Enterprise after leaving office and was asked in 1924 to take over as the president of the Houston Post.
In 1931, he married Oveta Culp Hobby, who would later become the first Secretary of the since reorganized Department of Health, Education and Welfare. In August 1955, Hobby became chairman of the board of the Houston Post Company, which also included the radio station, KPRC, and the television station, KPRC-TV, with Mrs. Hobby as president and editor.
Hobby served as a member on the Board of Directors of Texas Technological College.As governor, he appointed the Wichita Falls railroad and oil industrialist Joseph A. Kemp to the University of Texas Board of Regents, a position which Kemp held from 1917 to 1921.
Family
His son, William P. Hobby, Jr., also served as lieutenant governor of Texas from 1973 to 1991. His daughter, Jessica, was married to Henry E. Catto, Jr., the former US Ambassador to Great Britain. His grandson, Paul Hobby, narrowly lost the election for comptroller of Texas in the 1998 general election to the Republican Carole Keeton Strayhorn.