William “Bill” P. Hobby served as lieutenant governor of Texas for 18 years (1973-1991). Born in Houston on January 19, 1932, he is the son of former Texas governor William Pettus Hobby, Sr. and Oveta Culp Hobby. He graduated from Rice University in 1953, served for several years in the United States Navy, and then joined the staff of the Houston Post, owned by the Hobby family. Hobby became executive editor and president of the newspaper company in 1965, and he remained president until the sale of the Post in 1983.
Hobby began his career in public service in 1959, serving as parliamentarian of the Texas Senate. Under President Lyndon B. Johnson, he served on the Presidential Task Force on Suburban Problems and the National Citizens Advisory Committee on Vocational Rehabilitation. In 1969, he was appointed to the Texas Air Control Board and the Senate Interim Committee on Welfare Reform. Hobby was elected lieutenant governor of Texas in 1972, and he won re-election in 1974, 1978, 1982, and 1986. During his tenure, he promoted policies to improve the state budget-making process, chaired the Hobby-Clayton Commission which recommended the Texas Sunset Act (1970s), and served on the Select Committee on Public Education (1983-1984). Following his terms as lieutenant governor, Hobby served as Chancellor for the University of Houston System (1995-1997); sat on several boards including Southwest Airlines; was a Trustee of the LBJ Foundation; and held the Sid Richardson chair in Public Affairs at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Hobby is married to Diana P. Stallings, and they have four children.
Photographs, printed material, notes, and clippings comprise the William P. Hobby, Jr. Papers, 1940s-2011, and document the life and career of Hobby. The bulk of the collection consists of photographs of Hobby, his family, and his political career, spanning from his childhood to the Hobby family reunion in 2010. Additionally, the papers contain printed material, photographs, notes, and clippings documenting Lieutenant Governor Hobby’s 1982 re-election campaign and 1983 inauguration as well as a report on Lyndon B. Johnson’s swearing-in as president, written while Hobby worked for the Houston Post. Furthermore, the papers include memorabilia collected by Karen Bodner and then forwarded to Lieutenant Governor Hobby.
The collection is open for research use.
William P. Hobby, Jr., Papers, 1940s-2011, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
See also
Subsequent revisions were made by Megan Mummey, September 2009, July 2010, and Evan Usler, March 2011.