Howard R. Hughes Sr.
Howard Robard Hughes Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Lancaster, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | 14 January 1924 (aged 54) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, inventor |
| Known for | Founder of Hughes Tool Company; inventor of the Sharp–Hughes two-cone rotary drill bit |
Howard Robard Hughes Sr. (September 9, 1869 – January 14, 1924) was an American entrepreneur and inventor who established the Hughes Tool Company. He is credited with creating the "Sharp–Hughes" two-cone rotary drill bit during the period known as the Texas Oil Boom. Hughes Sr. was also the father of Howard Hughes (Howard Robard Hughes Jr.), the renowned industrialist and founder of Hughes Aircraft.
Early life and education
Hughes Sr. was born in Lancaster, Missouri, to Jean Amelia (née Summerlin) and Judge Felix Turner Hughes. His family included notable figures such as opera singer Greta (Jeanne Greta) and author Rupert Hughes. Before achieving notable success, he undertook several entrepreneurial ventures.
He resided in various locations including New York City, where he became a member of the Harvard Club of New York City, as well as Denver, Joplin, Missouri, and Beaumont, Texas. Ultimately, he established his home in Houston, where his son Howard Jr. was born.
His education began at the Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Missouri. In 1893, he enrolled at Harvard University but left after a year in 1894. Hughes briefly practiced law in Iowa before turning his attention to innovations in oil drilling technology.
Career
In 1904, Hughes Sr. married Allene Stone Gano and initially pursued mining ventures. However, after the Spindletop oil discovery in Texas, he shifted his focus to the petroleum sector. By 1906, he was working on alternatives to the conventional fishtail drill bit used at that time.
Together with business associate Walter Benona Sharp, Hughes developed a two-cone drill bit design in 1908. He filed patents for this invention—the Sharp-Hughes Rock Bit—on November 20, 1908, which were granted in August 1909 (US patents 930758 and 930759). This innovative two-cone rotary drill bit, often referred to as the "rock eater," significantly accelerated drilling by enabling penetration of medium and hard rock up to ten times faster than earlier tools, transforming oil well drilling practices.
Although Hughes may not have been the original inventor of the two-cone roller bit, his legal acumen allowed him to secure valuable patents related to it. Initial trials conducted at Goose Creek Oil Field in 1909—known as Texas's pioneering offshore drilling site—confirmed the bit’s superior capability to cut through hard rock where previous equipment had failed.
During World War I, Hughes also contributed to military engineering by developing a tunnel boring machine.
In 1909, Hughes partnered with Sharp to launch the Sharp-Hughes Tool Company. Following Sharp’s death in 1912, Hughes gained full ownership by 1918 and renamed it Hughes Tool Company. The company’s principal assets were centered on the dual-cone rotary drill bit patents from 1909, which generated substantial licensing income. By 1914, this technology had been adopted across eleven U.S. states and thirteen countries worldwide. Hughes aimed to "drill the deepest well in the world," comparing his ambition to historic polar expeditions.
Awards and accolades
One hundred years after the patent for the Hughes drill bit was secured, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) honored this invention as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark on August 10, 2009.
Patents
| Invention | Year Granted | Inventor(s) | Owner | Countries of Patent Issuance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drill Head Enhancements | 1910 | Howard R. Hughes | Howard R. Hughes | United Kingdom |
| Roller Drill | 1911 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | United States |
| Rotary Roller Drill | 1912 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | Austria |
| Extension Roller Drill | 1914 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | Austria |
| Roller Boring Drill | 1914 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | United States |
| Enhancements to Roller Boring Drills | 1914 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | United Kingdom |
| Rotary Drilling Devices | 1915 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | Austria |
| Enhanced Method for Sapping or Demolishing Military Trenches by Blasting and Similar Techniques | 1917 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | United Kingdom |
| Advancements in Drilling Machines | 1917 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | United Kingdom |
| Improved Techniques and Equipment for Creating and Enlarging Boreholes | 1917 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | United Kingdom |
| Improvements in Perforating Machinery for Horizontal Hole Drilling | 1919 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | France |
| Enhancements to the Process and Equipment for Drilling and Expanding Boreholes | 1919 | Howard R. Hughes | Individual | France |
| Rotary Earth Boring Drill | 1923 | Howard R. Hughes, Charles Kuldell Rudolph | Hughes Tools, Inc. | Canada |
Death and legacy
On January 14, 1924, at the age of 54, Howard R. Hughes Sr. passed away due to a heart attack triggered by an embolism while at the Humble Oil Building offices in Houston. His sole heir, Howard Jr., inherited a 75% stake in Hughes Tool Company at 19 years old, with the remaining 25% divided between Hughes Sr.'s parents and brother. Within a year, Howard Jr. declared legal adulthood and acquired full ownership by buying out the other shareholders. By 1925, he had appointed Noah Dietrich as CEO while embarking on careers in filmmaking and aviation based in California.
In 1933, engineers at Hughes Tool created the tri-cone rotary drill bit, which dominated the market from 1934 through 1951 with nearly complete market control. The Sharp-Hughes Rock Bit played a pivotal role in early rotary drilling achievements, generating significant wealth for Howard Jr. By the 1940s, he diversified the company’s interests beyond tool manufacturing into sectors such as film production (RKO Pictures), aerospace (Hughes Aircraft Company), and casino operations in Las Vegas, although tool manufacturing continued to be the primary income source. In 1972, he sold the core tool division for $150 million. Later, in 1987, Hughes Tool merged with Baker International to establish Baker Hughes, a leading oilfield services firm headquartered in Houston.
See also
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Age error
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- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1869 births
- 1924 deaths
- American businesspeople in the oil industry
- American chief executives of manufacturing companies
- American investors
- Inventors from Texas
- American manufacturing businesspeople
- Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas)
- Businesspeople from Missouri
- Harvard University alumni
- Iowa State University alumni
- Missouri Military Academy alumni
- People from Lancaster, Missouri
- Hughes family (United States)