Willie Chapman Cooper Hobby (June 19, 1876 – January 14, 1929) was the first wife of

William P. Hobby William Pettus Hobby (March 26, 1878 – June 7, 1964) was known as the publisher/owner of the '' Beaumont Enterprise'' when he entered politics and the Democratic Party. Elected in 1914 as Lieutenant Governor of Texas, in 1917 he succeeded t ...

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

from 1917 to 1921, and thus First Lady of Texas.

Life

The daughter of

Samuel Bronson Cooper Samuel Bronson Cooper (May 30, 1850 – August 21, 1918) was a United States representative from Texas and a Member of the Board of General Appraisers. Education and career Born on May 30, 1850, near Eddyville in Caldwell County, Kentucky, ...

, a lawyer who later became a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from Texas, Willie C. Cooper was born in Woodville and educated at Lucy Ann Kidd-Key’s North Texas Female College, graduating with honors at the age of sixteen. Ida Hinman, ''The Washington Sketch Book'' (1895)

/ref> She went with her father to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where she was known as “Miss Willie”, and was a leader of Washington society as well as acting as her father’s secretary for many years. In 1910, her father lost his seat in Congress, and President William Howard Taft appointed him to the

Board of General Appraisers The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a Federal judiciary of the United States, U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and International trade law, ...

in New York, where his daughter joined him.”Mrs W. P. Hobby dies suddenly in Houston” (obituary), ''

Houston Post The ''Houston Post'' was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper shut down, and its assets were purchased by the ''Houston Chronicle''. History Gail Borden Johnson founded the ''Houston Po ...

'', January 15, 1929 On May 15, 1915, Miss Willie married William Pettus Hobby, a lawyer who was Lieutenant Governor of Texas, with

James Edward Ferguson James Edward Ferguson Jr. (August 31, 1871 – September 21, 1944), known as Pa Ferguson, was an American Democratic politician and the 26th Governor of Texas, in office from 1915 to 1917. He was indicted and impeached during his second ter ...

as Governor. In 1917, Ferguson was removed from office, and at the age of thirty-nine Hobby succeeded him, becoming the youngest man ever to hold office as Governor of Texas. Willie Hobby served as his First Lady until he retired in 1921.Hobby, William Pettus (1878–1964)
''Handbook of Texas'' (Texas State Historical Association), accessed November 11, 2020 In 1929, Mrs Hobby died suddenly at home, 3903 Montrose Boulevard,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, of

apoplexy Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...

, and was buried at Glenwood Cemetery, Houston. In 1931, her widowed husband married secondly Oveta Culp.

Notes

External links

Willie Chapman Cooper Hobby
at rediscoveringsetx.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Hobby Willie Chapman Cooper 1876 births 1929 deaths First ladies and gentlemen of Texas