The Aviator is a new film that recounts the life of Howard Hughes. It is an excellent film, especially for aviation buffs. I thought I would write a bit about his ancestry.
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was born on December 24, 1905, in Humble, Texas. He was the son of Howard Robard Hughes, Sr. (died 14 Jan, 1924 of a heart attack) and Allene Gano (died 29 -Mar. 1922). Howard Robard Hughes Sr. was the son of Felix Turner Hughes and Jean Amelia Summerlin.
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was married four times:
Ella Rice (m. 1 -Jun 1925, div 9 -Dec. 1929)
Terry Moore (secretly m. 1949, according to her)
Jean Peters (m. 12 -Jan. 1957, div. 18 -Jun. 1971)
Billie Dove
In addition, Howard Hughes had a number of girlfriends, including Carole Lombard, Marian Marsh, Ida Lupino, Lillian Bond, Mary Rogers, Nancy Belle Bayly, Katharine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, and Yvonne Shubert. It is assumed that there were numerous others that remain undocumented.
He had no children.
Howard Hughes graduated from Thatcher High School in Ojai, California. He attended CalTech and Rice University.
The 1930 census record for Howard Hughes can be found at http://rootdig.com/1930census/howard_hughes.html. His occupation is listed as "Producer."
After years of seclusion, Howard Hughes died at the age of 70 on April 5, 1976, of renal failure on an airplane en route from his penthouse in Mexico to the Methodist Hospital in Houston. He was unrecognizable, and the FBI insisted on fingerprints to identify Hughes' remains.
One of Howard Hughes' legacies is the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, one of the richest and quietest charities ever created. It spends billions of dollars on medical research. You can read more about the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/21/60minutes/main584945.shtml.
