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Roy M. Huffington Personal and Professional Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 688
Finding aid note: Stored offsite at the Library Service Center. Please request access by emailing woodson@rice.edu or calling 713-348-2586, and allow 24 hours retrieval time.

Scope and Contents

The collection formats include photos, correspondence files, awards, and speeches. Huffington assembled an abundance of primary and secondary source material in his field. Highlights of this collection include Huffington’s education, his start into petroleum geology, and his later work in philanthropy.The collection is now arranged into three series. Series I: Personal encompasses the honors Huffington received as well as other personal milestones. Subseries B offers a copy of Huffington’s dissertation “Geology of the Quitman Mountains Trans-Pecos Texas” followed by Subseries C: Addendum, which includes the field journals from the first hand work in the Quitman Mountains. Series II: Professional provides a wealth of information on the geology of areas of Texas and New Mexico, especially the maps featured in in this series. Documented as well are the professional societies Huffington belonged to. Series III: Oversized contains mementos from the Huffington family.

Dates

  • 1972 - 2009

Conditions Governing Access

This material is open for research with the exception of items restricted by the Donor and the Woodson Research Center because dissemination of their content may constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy or a libel of a living person, or because content relates to the personal, family, and confidential professional affairs of the Donor, the organization, or other persons referenced in the Papers. The materials that are restricted are for 35 years, starting from April 20, 2017 till April 20th 2052.

Conditions Governing Access

Stored offsite at the Library Service Center. Please request access by emailing woodson@rice.edu or calling 713-348-2586, and allow 24 hours retrieval time.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish from this material must be facilitated through the Woodson Research Center. Please also note restricted materials as identified in the container list and access note.

Biographical / Historical

Roy M. Huffington was born in Tomball, Texas on Oct 4, 1917. The son of an oil man, he earned his bachelors in geology from Southern Methodist University in 1938, and earned a Ph.D. in geology from Harvard in 1942.He was a charismatic, creative, hardworking, benefactor, and supporter of cultural, civic, and educational programming for the betterment of society. He supported 350 local charities. He put importance on international relations and he wanted to share his knowledge and passion of Asia with others. After serving aboard the USS Hornet as a lieutenant during World War II, he left the Navy and went to work for Humble Oil. In 1956, Huffington left Humble to start his own business with the money he had saved over the previous decade. Roy M. Huffington, Inc. or “Huffco.” made a number of successful ventures around the world, most notably the discovery of vast reserves of natural gas in Indonesia in 1972. These ventures lead to his interest in Asia and the many cultures. In 1989, Huffington sold his oil company, and in 1990 President Bush appointed him to the role of Ambassador to Austria. He also served as chairman of the Asia Society and the Salzburg Seminar. He was also involved with the Council of Foreign Relations, and a trustee of the Brookings Institution. He was also involved in the All American Wildcatters, The Baker Institute, and the Rothko Chapel. Roy enjoyed a full life, a life filled with travel and a dedication to international affairs. He passed away at the age of 90 in 2008.

Extent

42 Linear Feet (35 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

The personal and professional papers of Roy M. Huffington contain correspondence, photographs, awards, and audio visual materials. His civic duties are the bulk of this collection.

Arrangement

The materials in this collection have been arranged in two series: Series I- The Personal section is arranged by Awards, Press, Church, and Calendars. Series II: The Professional section is arranged in alphabetical order. Some of the folders are arranged in chronological order and others are arranged by groups, depending if they are trustee meetings or correspondence. Series III: An additional series later added for oversized materials. This series along with any addendums are arranged chronologically.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This material was donated by Terry Dittman, Michael Huffington, and Ralph Dittman in February 2013.

Related Materials

Please refer to Roy M. Huffington Naval Papers, 1942-2005 MS 611 for more information on the Navy and Mr. Huffington. As well as the Roy M. Huffington Oil company records, 1977-2006 MS 575; Roy M. Huffington Ambassadorial Papers, 1988-2008 MS 617; and the Huffington and allied families' papers, 1650-1955 MS 883.

Subjects

Record Groups

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Roy M. Huffington Personal and Professional Papers, 1972-2009
Status
Completed
Author
Lucy M. Sheely, Sylvia Podwika
Date
2017
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

https://library.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

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Harmful Content Statement
© 2023 Woodson Research Center
Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892