The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1946-07-18
Background Data On Howard Hughes

As Howard Hughes fights his
Nfeatest battle for life itself in a
LIS Angeles hospital, little
kneWn facts Of his remarkable
career ere beginning 10 reach a
wosid-wide public which, para
daKieally. knows Of his spectacu-
iaT deeds bat hardly knows the
man a. all
To the movIe-goer he's the
man who has made a series of
sensational bOx-office hits. To the
nviation world he's a record
Breaking pilot and a sound, pains
tnklng plane designer. To the
Army he was one of the most
important developers and pro-
dueers Of war equipment, partic-
ulaFiy for planes. To industry
he's the man who made avail
ahie vastly increased stores of
sbl8ck gold" for his oil-well
dFiiling equipment is used in ev-
ery corncr OF the world.
Beyond these impressions lit
de has been known of the man,
vino now only 40, dreamed these
successes and made them happen.
AZ home in such diverse fields,
he IS a keen, hard-driving u. S.
business executive completely
preoccupied with the manage
mens Of the highly-diversifie6
Industrial organization he has
pat together.
Hughes Fortune
Howard Hughes has, great
wealth, but it did not come tc
him through inheritance. One OF
the richest young men in Amer
lea. and perhaps the world al
well. his fortune is estimated al
between one hundred and fifty
and two hundred million dollars
accumulated by Hughes through
the success of his varied interests
Virtually all that has beer
written about Hughes money has
literally mixed fact with fancy
lie did not inherit $17,000,000, as
one Of many highly-colored
stories reported. His father, How
ard Hughes, one of the most col
offul figures in Texas before the
turn Of the century, founded his
own company in 1909 to produce
his own patented rock-bit for oil
well drilling. The company be-
came the Sharpe-Hughes part
nership in 1918, and the elder
Hughes bought out his partner
In 1916. BY 1922 when Hughes
Jr.'s mother died, the company
had a successful but small bust
ness supplying these EXHIBITS to
the oil industry. Young Hughes
inherited fifteen per cent of the
company from his mother, and
the following year, on the death
Of his father, inherited another
twenty-five per cent. At this
time the business was appraised
by the u. S. Government as be-
ing worth $650,000.
Hughes Enters Other Fields
Now in a critical condition at
The Good Samaritan hospital, Los
Angeles, as the result of an air.
plane accident, Hughes refuses
% accept the orders of his doc
Cos. Relying as usual on his own
judgment, the tall, jut-jawed
Texan continues to issue orders
and make plans for the many
projects he has underway. Thus
he keeps the current chapter of
the Hughes saga consistent with
the preceding ones.
The Star-Maker
Before he was 81, he invaded
Hollywood as producer, and be-
gan his career as the most sue.
cessful and colorful independent
producer the movie colony has
yet seen. In less than two years
his innate sense of showmanship
was fullgrown. To the amaze
ment of Hollywood wiseacres, he
made 100000 with his first ma
jor production, 1.-Two Arabian
Nights" a comedy which brought
screen fame to Louis Wolheim.
His passion for realism arrayed
cenSors against him for the first
time with the showing of his
production, "The Racket" STAR
ring Thomas Meighan in a too
true portrayal of big-city political
raeketeering during the prohibi-
ton era. Hughes won legal bat
ties for permission to show the
film in every city and state wher
censorship threatened. ST h 6
Racket" too, was successful, and
launched the directorial career