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Will Hogg

William Clifford Hogg (January 31, 1875 – September 12, 1930) was an American attorney, developer, civic activist, and philanthropist.

Early life[edit]

William Clifford Hogg was born on January 31, 1875, in Quitman, Texas, the eldest child of Sallie (Stinson) Hogg and James Stephen "Big Jim" Hogg.^[1] Jim joined the Texas bar not long after the birth of his first son. Hogg grew up as his father pursued a political career, first gaining election as Wood County attorney in 1878, District Attorney in 1880, and Texas Attorney General in 1886. Three younger siblings were born during this time: the unfortunately named Ima Hogg (c. 1882), Michael (1885), and Thomas Elisha (1887). The family moved to Austin in 1886, when Jim accepted his first statewide position, first living in a boarding house before moving into their own single-family house on Fourteenth Street. Hogg was 15 years-old when they moved into the Governor's Mansion.^[2]

Hogg attended public schools, and briefly attended a secondary school near Tyler, Texas, before enrolling at Southwestern University. He considered a career in ministry, though he changed his curriculum at the University of Texas, where he earned a law degree in 1897.^[1]

Career[edit]

After graduation, Hogg worked as an attorney in San Antonio, Austin, and St. Louis.^[1]

Hogg worked for and was a friend of Joseph S. Cullinan and help found the American Republics Corporation. In 1924, Hogg with his brother Mike and his old college friend, Hugh Potter, started a plan for an exclusive subdivision west of downtown Houston. They purchased 1,200 acres of land, which included a fledgling country club. Rather than just acting as subdividers of suburban lots, they adopted an approach of "comprehensive planning."^[3]

Citations[edit]

References[edit]

• Bernhard, Virginia (1984). Ima Hogg: The Governor's Daughter. Austin: Texas Monthly Press. ISBN 0-932012-68-X.
• Ferguson, Cheryl Caldwell (2014). Highland Park and River Oaks: The Origins of Garden Suburban Community Planning in Texas. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0292748361.
• Kirkland, Kate Sayen (2009). The Hogg Family and Houston: Philanthropy and the Civic Ideal. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71866-1.

External links[edit]

• Lomax, John Nova (May 12, 2012). "Houston 101: Will Hogg, Houston's Forgotten, Eccentric and Downright Badass Philanthropist". Houston Press. Retrieved March 6, 2020.