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H. L. Hunt

From Alfawiki
Haroldson Lafayette Hunt Jr.
Born (1889-02-17) 17 February 1889 (age 137)
Carson Township, Illinois, U.S.
Died29 November 1974(1974-11-29) (aged 85)
Occupation(s)Oil magnate, businessman
Known forFounder of Hunt Oil Company; substantial rights to East Texas Oil Field; diversified business interests including publishing, cosmetics, pecan agriculture, health food manufacturing

Haroldson Lafayette Hunt Jr. (February 17, 1889 – November 29, 1974) was a prominent American oil magnate. He obtained substantial rights to the East Texas Oil Field, one of the globe’s largest oil reserves, initially purchasing land from oil prospector Dad Joiner for $30,000. In 1936, he established Hunt Oil Company. Beyond his oil ventures, Hunt expanded his business interests into publishing, cosmetics, pecan agriculture, and health food manufacturing, amassing a fortune estimated between $2 and $3 billion at the time of his passing. During the 1950s, his Facts Forum Foundation backed far-right media outlets, including columns and radio broadcasts he personally authored.

Life

Hunt was born in Carson Township, Illinois as the youngest among eight siblings in a family with entrepreneurial inclinations. Educated at home without formal schooling, he considered traditional education a barrier to financial success. By 1912, he managed a cotton plantation in Arkansas and gained recognition as both a mathematical prodigy and gambler. FBI documents reveal his involvement in prostitution and gambling operations throughout his career.

Following flood damage to his plantation, Hunt reportedly transformed an initial $100 into over $100,000 through gambling activities in New Orleans. He then invested these profits in oil properties near El Dorado, Arkansas. Loyal staff members informed him of rumors regarding a vast oil field in East Texas. Negotiations with wildcatter Columbus Marion "Dad" Joiner took place at Dallas’s Adolphus Hotel, where Hunt secured ownership of what became the largest known oil deposit worldwide by agreeing to pay Joiner $1 million and assume liabilities stemming from fraudulent dealings.

By 1957, Fortune estimated Hunt’s wealth between $400 million and $700 million, ranking him among the eight wealthiest Americans. J. Paul Getty remarked that Hunt was unique in possessing extraordinary independent wealth.

Personal life

H. L. Hunt fathered fifteen children across three marriages.

In November 1914, he wed Lyda Bunker from Lake Village, Arkansas; their marriage lasted until her death in 1955. Among their seven children were Margaret Hunt Hill, Haroldson ("Hassie"), Caroline Rose Hunt, Nelson Bunker Hunt, William Herbert Hunt, and Lamar Hunt. Their Dallas residence on White Rock Lake was modeled after Mount Vernon but on a grander scale.

His eldest son Hassie—anticipated to inherit the family enterprise—underwent lobotomy due to erratic behavior yet outlived his father. Lamar founded the American Football League and initiated the Super Bowl. Herbert and Bunker gained notoriety for attempting to monopolize the global silver market by holding more silver than any government before their scheme collapsed. Bunker briefly ranked among the world’s richest men after discovering Libyan oil fields later nationalized by Muammar Gaddafi.

While still married to Lyda, Hunt reportedly married Frania Tye of Tampa, Florida in 1925 under the alias Franklin Hunt. Upon uncovering this bigamy in 1934, a settlement in 1941 created trust funds for their four children; Frania later briefly married and divorced one of Hunt's employees. Their children were Howard, Haroldina, Helen, and Hugh ("Hue"). Frania Tye Lee passed away in 2002.

After Lyda’s death, Hunt married Ruth Ray from Shreveport in 1957; they had four children: Ray Lee Hunt, June Hunt, Helen LaKelly Hunt, and Swanee Hunt. Ray Lee inherited the family business and supported President George W. Bush.

Hunt’s fifteen children listed by birth order are:

  1. Margaret Hunt Hill (1915–2007), philanthropist and co-owner of Hunt Petroleum
  2. H. L. "Hassie" Hunt III (1917–2005), co-owner of Hunt Petroleum
  3. Caroline Rose Hunt (1923–2018), founder of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
  4. Lyda Bunker Hunt (1925), died in infancy
  5. Nelson Bunker Hunt (1926–2014), developed Libyan oil assets; attempted silver market cornering; prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner
  6. Howard Lee Hunt (1926–1975)
  7. Haroldina Franch Hunt (1928–1995)
  8. William Herbert Hunt (1929–2024), led several energy firms including Petro-Hunt LLC
  9. Helen Lee Cartledge Hunt (1930–1962), perished in Air France Flight 007 disaster
  10. Lamar Hunt (1932–2006), co-founder of AFL and NASL; owner of Kansas City Chiefs and MLS teams; instrumental in AFL-NFL merger and Super Bowl branding
  11. Hugh S. Hunt (1934–2002), founder of Constructivist Foundation
  12. Ray Lee Hunt (born c. 1943), chairman of Hunt Oil
  13. June Hunt (born c. 1944), host of religious program Hope for the Heart
  14. Helen LaKelly Hunt (born c. 1949), pastoral counselor and co-manager of family charitable foundation
  15. Swanee Hunt (born 1950), former U.S. ambassador to Austria; director of Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School; president of the Hunt Alternatives Fund

After his death, revelations surfaced concerning his bigamous marriage with his second wife in New York.

Following his marriage to Ruth Ray, Hunt adopted Baptist faith and played a major role in founding Dallas’s conservative evangelical Criswell College.

Hunt died at age 85 after spending several months hospitalized at Baylor Hospital in Dallas and was interred at Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery. His granddaughter Haela Hunt-Hendrix founded the transcendental black metal band Liturgy. The character J. R. Ewing on the television series Dallas drew inspiration from H. L. Hunt’s life story.

Association with white supremacist ideologies

Hunt was a supporter of the Dixiecrats, perceiving the Democratic Party as a vehicle for "socialism and Communism." Multiple accounts, including those from civil rights activist Malcolm X, identified Hunt as a lifelong advocate of racist views who provided financial support to extremist right-wing organizations such as the Minutemen and the John Birch Society. His broadcasts revealed his perception of African Americans as a political menace. According to his associate Allen Zoll, Hunt had promoted the idea of deporting all African Americans to Africa since 1936. This ideology also led him to fund Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, reflecting their mutual endorsement of racial segregation.

In 1965, Hunt played a role in persuading Alabama Governor George C. Wallace, known for his white supremacist stance, to nominate his wife, Lurleen Wallace, for governor as a strategy to circumvent state-imposed term restrictions.

Allegations regarding JFK assassination conspiracies

Advertising professional Madeleine Duncan Brown asserted that she was present at a gathering hosted by oil magnate Clint Murchison Sr. in Dallas on the night before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The event allegedly included influential individuals such as Hunt, Murchison, J. Edgar Hoover, and Richard Nixon. Brown claimed that President Lyndon B. Johnson remarked: "After tomorrow, those goddamn Kennedys will never embarrass me again. That's no threat. That's a promise."

This testimony contributed to various conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy's assassination. However, investigator Dave Perry refuted these claims by demonstrating that neither Johnson nor Hoover were present in Dallas at that time, Murchison had moved from that residence, and witnesses confirmed Murchison was at his East Texas ranch during the event.

Published works

Books

  • Fabians Fight Freedom. Dallas: H. L. Hunt Press
  • Alpaca. Dallas: H. L. Hunt Press (1960)
  • Why Not Speak? Dallas: H. L. Hunt Press (1964)
  • Hunt for Truth: A Timely Collection of the Stimulating Daily Newspaper Columns of H. L. Hunt. Dallas: H. L. Hunt Press (1965)
  • Alpaca Revisited. Dallas: HLH Products (1967)
  • H. L. Hunt: Early Days. Dallas: Parade (1973)
  • Hunt Heritage: The Republic and Our Families. Dallas: Parade (1973)
  • Right of Average. Dallas: HLH Products (1960s)

Articles

See also

General sources

Further reading

"The wealthiest American wishes to be just like everyone else."
Discusses the emergence and decline of influential right-wing radio personalities, including H. L. Hunt.

External links

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