H. L. Hunt

Haroldson Lafayette Hunt, Jr.

Haroldson Lafayette Hunt, Jr.
Born Haroldson Lafayette Hunt, Jr.
February 17, 1889(1889-02-17)
Ramsey, Illinois
Died November 29, 1974(1974-11-29) (aged 85)
Dallas, Texas
Nationality American
Other names H. L. Hunt
Occupation Oil business
Net worth USD $1 billion at the time of his death (approximately 1/1474th of US GNP)[1]
Spouse Lyda Bunker
Ruth Ray
Children fourteen

Haroldson Lafayette Hunt, Jr. (February 17, 1889 — November 29, 1974), known throughout his life as "H. L. Hunt," was a Texas oil tycoon and conservative activist. He built one of the world's largest fortunes by trading poker winnings for oil rights, ultimately securing title to much of the East Texas Oil Field, one of the world's very largest. Reputedly the wealthiest person in the world at the time of his death, his many children by three wives inspired the television series Dallas.

Contents

Life

Hunt was born near Ramsey, in Carson Township, Fayette County, Illinois, the youngest of eight children. He was named after his father, Haroldson Lafayette Hunt, who was a prosperous farmer-entrepreneur; his mother was Ella Rose (Myers) Hunt.

Hunt was educated at home and was breast-fed until he was seven years old. As a teenager Hunt traveled to various places before settling in Arkansas, where he was running a cotton plantation by 1912. He had a reputation as a gambler. He ended up making his fortune in the oil business. In 1957 Fortune estimated that he had a fortune of between US $400 million and US $700 million, and was one of the eight richest people in the United States.

Hunt married three times, and had fourteen children. His first wife was Lyda Bunker (died 1955), whom he married in Arkansas on November 26, 1914. They had six children, the best-known of whom are Bunker, Lamar and Herbert Hunt. In 1925, Hunt ("HL") married Frania Tye (who was unaware of HL's other wives) in Florida, and they had four children, including Hugh Hunt. When Frania learned of HL's other wives, they divorced in 1942. Hunt then had four more children with his mistress, a Hunt Oil Company secretary named Ruth Ray, whom he married in 1957.

Hunt died, aged 85, in Dallas, Texas. He was buried there in the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery.

Family

Hunt had three families and 14 children:

  1. Margaret Hunt Hill (October 19, 1915–June 14, 2007): philanthropist and co-owner of Hunt Petroleum.
  2. H. L. "Hassie" Hunt III (November 23, 1917–April 20, 2005): diagnosed with schizophrenia in the early 1940s; co-owner of Hunt Petroleum.
  3. Caroline Rose Hunt (born January 8, 1923): Founder and Honorary Chairman of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts which operates The Mansion on Turtle Creek.
  4. Nelson Bunker Hunt (born February 22, 1926): A major force in developing Libyan oil fields. Eventually attempted to corner the world market in silver in 1979, and was convicted of conspiring to manipulate the market. Legendary owner-breeder [2] of Thoroughbred racehorses.
  5. Howard Lee Hunt (October 25, 1926–October 13, 1975)
  6. Haroldina Franch Hunt (October 26, 1928–November 10, 1995)
  7. William Herbert Hunt (born c. 1929) A major and defining force in the oil industry, he was also a legendary businessman and oilman. At times, ran Hunt Oil, Hunt Petroleum, Hunt Energy, Placid Oil, etc. The founder of Petro-Hunt LLC.
  8. Helen Lee Cartledge Hunt (October 28, 1930–June 3, 1962)
  9. Lamar Hunt (August 2, 1932–December 13, 2006): co-founder of the American Football League and the North American Soccer League; owner of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League; owner of the Columbus Crew and FC Dallas of Major League Soccer; impetus behind 1966 AFL-NFL merger, coined the name "Super Bowl".
  10. Hugh S. Hunt (October 14, 1934–November 12, 2002): lived in Potomac, Maryland, founder of Constructivist Foundation.
  11. Ray Lee Hunt (born c. 1943): chairman of Hunt Oil.
  12. June Hunt (born c. 1944): host of a daily religious radio show, Hope for the Heart.
  13. Helen LaKelly Hunt (born c. 1949): a pastoral counselor in Dallas; co-manager of the Hunt Alternatives Fund, one of the family's charitable arms.
  14. Swanee Hunt (born May 1, 1950): former U.S. ambassador to Austria; now head of the Women and Public Policy Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and president of Hunt Alternatives Fund.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Klepper, Michael; Gunther, Michael (1996), The Wealthy 100: From Benjamin Franklin to Bill Gates—A Ranking of the Richest Americans, Past and Present, Secaucus, New Jersey: Carol Publishing Group, p. xiii, ISBN 9780806518008, OCLC 33818143 
  2. ^ Nelson Bunker Hunt biography, National Thoroughbred Racing Association.

Further reading

External links