Hobby Biography

Former Texas Lt. Governor William P. Hobby

Bill Hobby has devoted his life to public service, to his country, his state, and his city – as naval officer, journalist, parliamentary expert, governmental policymaker, university regent, lieutenant governor of Texas, university professor, and chancellor of the University of Houston System.

Born in Houston in 1932, Bill Hobby graduated from Rice University in 1953. He then served four years in the United States Navy and during his Navy days, he married Diana Poteat Stallings of North Carolina. They have four children and 10 grandchildren.

Following his military service, Hobby joined the staff of the Houston Post, the flagship of his family’s communications business. He was president of the Houston Post for nearly 21 years when the family sold the paper in 1983. He then served as chairman of the board of H&C Communications until his retirement in 1996.

Hobby was parliamentarian of the Texas Senate, under the guidance of Lt. Gov. Ben Ramsey, during the 56th Legislature in 1959.

He headed an extensive review of the state’s welfare system before his election as Lieutenant Governor in 1972.

Link to William P. Hobby Texas State Archives Scrapbook Inventory

Link to William P. Hobby Rice Faculty Report and Scholarly Interests

Photo of Lt. Governor Hobby in 1971 at State Capital

Bill Hobby and the Hobby's family brought tremendous progress to Texas in numerous areas-public education, mental health, water conservation, fiscal management, indigent health care, corrections, and public assistance programs, to name a few.

But none of his many achievements is more important than his determination that Texas must sustain its commitment to excellence in higher education, and his support for the resources that make that possible.

Personal

Born: January 19, 1932, Houston, Texas
Wife: Diana Poteat Stallings
Children: Laura (Mrs. John) Beckworth, Paul Hobby,
Andrew Hobby, Kate (Mrs. Steve) Gibson

Education

St. Albans School, Washington, D.C., 1949
Rice University, BA in American History, 1953

Military Service

U.S. Navy, 1953-1957, discharged with rank of lieutenant (jg)

Business History

Chairman, H&C Communications (and successor companies), 1983-present
President and executive editor, the Houston Post, 1965-1983

Higher Education Service

Current:
Scholar-in-Residence, University of Houston System
Member, Formula Advisory Committee, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Radoslav Tsanoff Professor, Rice University, 1989-present
National Advisory Council, Institute for Social Research

Past:
Chancellor, University of Houston System, 1995-1997
Sid Richardson Professor, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, 1990-1997
Member, Board of Trustees, St. Edward’s University, 1990-1995
Member, Board of Governors, Rice University, 1989-1993
Member, Board of Regents, University of Houston, 1965-1969
Chairman, Texas Commission on a Representative Student Body, 1998.
Member, Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, 2000
Member, Board of Overseers of Harvard College Committee to Visit the John F.
Kennedy School of Government, 1995-2000

Honorary Degrees

Doctor of Laws, University of Houston, 1997
Doctor of Laws, Austin College, 1989
Doctor of Humanities in Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, 1986
Doctor of Humane Letters, St. Edward’s University, 1986

Awards

President Emeritus, Texas Senate
Santa Rita Award, University of Texas System Board of Regents, 1985
Distinguished Alumnus, Rice University, 1985

Professional Associations

Fellow, National Academy of Public Administration, 1991-present
President, Philosophical Society of Texas, 1986
Member, American Newspaper Publishers Association, 1960-1983
Member, American Society of Newspaper Editors, 1960-1972
President, Texas Daily Newspaper Association, 1971
Chair, National Conference of Lieutenant Governors, 1976-1977

Directorships

Southwest Airlines, 1990-present
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, 1998-present

William P. Hobby, Sr.