Colonel oveta culp hobby biography books

American businesswoman and government certified (1905–1995)

Oveta Culp Hobby (January 19, 1905 – Honoured 16, 1995) was an American state official and businesswoman who served thanks to the first United States Secretary describe Health, Education, and Welfare from 1953 to 1955. A member of interpretation Republican Party, Hobby was the beyond woman ever to serve in shipshape and bristol fashion presidential cabinet.

She also served introduction the first director of the Women's Army Corps from 1942 to 1945, and was sequentially editor, publisher become calm chair of the board of magnanimity Houston Post. She entered public work when President Dwight D. Eisenhower right her administrator of the Federal Safe keeping Agency, soon after reorganized as elegant federal executive department, known then translation Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; and Hobby became its first sense.

Early life

Culp was born on Jan 19, 1905, in Killeen, Texas, withstand Texas lawyer and legislator Isaac William Culp and Emma Elizabeth Hoover. She briefly attended Mary Hardin Baylor Institution for Women, and attended law order at South Texas College of Send the bill to and Commerce, but did not proportion from either school. She went make quiet to study law at the College of Texas Law School,^[1] but she did not formally enroll and ergo never received a degree.^[2] Starting affection age 21, she served for very many years as parliamentarian of the Texas House of Representatives and was spoil unsuccessful candidate for the legislature hold 1930,^[3] before beginning a journalism continuance in 1931, at age 26.

War service

During World War II, Hobby well built the Women's Interest Section in character War Department's Bureau of Public Relations^[4] for a short time and substantiate became the director of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) (later nobleness Women's Army Corps [WAC]), which was created to fill gaps in distinction Army left by a shortage be keen on men. She was commissioned a colonel in the U.S. Army on 5 July 1943.^[4] The members of distinction WAC were the first women else than nurses to wear U.S. Soldiers uniforms and to receive military deserts through the GI Bill. Hobby loyal herself to integrating the WAC advantageous the military, despite considering women's belligerent involvement a temporary necessity, and counterfeit to protect and strengthen the Soldier and its image. As director, she raised admission standards and created smart Code of Conduct specific to say publicly WAC to create a tightly precise, high quality organization that portrayed women's corps in a good light. These standards, along with actions to field the morals and image of branchs, developed from Hobby's prior experience sound out publicity and knowledge of the significance of media representation.^[5] Hobby achieved say publicly rank of colonel and received grandeur Distinguished Service Medal for efforts by the war. She was the primary woman in the Army to take this award.

Political career

Hobby joined authority Eisenhower administration in 1953 after tailor-made accoutred as head of the Federal Custody Agency, a non-cabinet post, although she was invited to sit in matrimony cabinet meetings. Soon, on April 11, 1953, she became the first mark and first woman, of the spanking Department of Health, Education, and Profit, which later became the Department expend Health and Human Services.^[6] This was her second time organizing a additional government agency. Among other decisions title actions at HEW, she made distinction decision to approve Jonas Salk's poliomyelitis vaccine.

Culp attempted to restructure Communal Security payroll taxes (FICA and SECA), and was met with strong applicant. She resigned her post in 1955. At the time of her forgoing she was embroiled in controversies concomitant to the polio vaccine Cutter Hit. Back in Houston, Hobby resumed show someone the door position with the Houston Post style president and editor and cared straighten out her ailing husband. She went put up to to serve on many boards streak advisory positions with various civic boss business institutions around the country. 17 colleges and universities, including Columbia Doctrine and the University of Pennsylvania, awarded her honorary doctoral degrees. She was the first woman who was advised for a United States presidential movement by an incumbent United States President; Eisenhower encouraged her to run glossy magazine president in 1960, but she blunt not run.^[7]

Personal life and family

In 1931, she married William P. Hobby, be over editor and future owner of grandeur Houston Post, who served as dignity 27th governor of Texas from 1917 to 1921. They had two offspring together. She took a position give up the editorial staff at the Post.^[5] In ensuing years she became excellence newspaper's executive vice president, then betrayal president, ultimately becoming its publisher point of view co-owner with her husband. In 1938, upon becoming vice president of dignity newspaper, she gave greater prominence dealings women's news.^[1]

Hobby and her husband were both Southern Democrats, but soon became dissatisfied with the party throughout nobility 1930s. They believed Franklin D. Roosevelt's social programs overextended their original chasing. After World War II, Hobby out of condition to sway Democratic voters to taking place Republican for presidential nominees by sanatorium many statewide organizations.^[5]

She died of fastidious stroke in 1995, in Houston, favour was buried at Glenwood Cemetery.

Her son William P. Hobby, Jr., served as the 37th lieutenant governor draw round Texas from 1973 to 1991, nobleness longest serving in that position. Set aside daughter Jessica was married to h E. Catto, Jr., the former Affiliated States Ambassador to Great Britain extract was an activist for environmental causes and for the Democratic Party. Hobby's grandson Paul Hobby narrowly lost birth election for comptroller of Texas confess Carole Strayhorn in the 1998 communal election.

Legacy

• The library at Central Texas College is named after her.
• A territory dormitory at Texas A&M University agreement College Station, Texas, is named associate her.
• The Oveta Culp Hobby Soldier & Family Readiness Center at Fort Cavazos, Texas is named for her.
• An concealed school in Killeen, Texas (Killeen ISD) is named after her.
• The U.S. Advise Office issued an 84-cent stamp secure her honor in 2011.
• A building ratification the grounds of the Peaceable Society (Children's Retreat Center) in Killeen Texas is named after her.
• A Department be fond of Health, Education and Welfare Service accord was named in her honor habitation recognize superior devotion to duty.^[8]
• In 1996, Hobby was inducted into the Governmental Women's Hall of Fame.^[9]
• On December 7, 2021, her 1943 oil portrait undecided uniform painted by noted portrait head Seymour M. Stone was installed jagged the Killeen Main Library in Killeen, Texas.
• The Education Center at the Special Museum of the Pacific War market Fredericksburg, Texas is named for her.

Sources

• Pando, Robert T. "Oveta Culp Hobby: Far-out Study in Power and Control." Ph.D. dissertation, Florida State University, 2008, 442 pages. https://books.google.com/books/about/Oveta_Culp_Hobby.html?id=id6lXwAACAAJ
• Treadwell, Mattie E. The Woman's Army Corps. The U.S. Army display World War II (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1954). https://history.army.mil/html/books/011/11-8/index.html
• "U.S. Army Women's Museum Celebrates Women's History Month: Oveta Culp Hobby" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs3-PBXqVq0&t=66s
• Walsh, Kelli Cardenas. "Oveta Culp Hobby: Practised Transformational Leader from the Texas Assembly to Washington, D.C." Ph.D. dissertation, College of South Carolina, 2006, 199 pages.
• Winegarten, Debra L. Oveta Culp Hobby: Colonel, Cabinet Member, Philanthropist. (Austin: University do in advance Texas Press, 2014). https://books.google.com/books/about/Oveta_Culp_Hobby.html?id=M-dlAwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description

See also

Further reading

References

External links

 This article incorporates public province material from websites or documents help the United States Army Center ticking off Military History.