Howard Hughes Sr.
He was an American entrepreneur. He was best known as the father of Howard Robard Hughes Jr. the famous aviation pioneer and film producer. However, it was Hughes, Sr. who created the fortune that Hughes, Jr. inherited when he turned 18. Hughes engaged in various business endeavors involving mining before capitalizing on the Spindletop oil discovery in Texas. As a result of this venture, he began devoting his full time to the oil business. Sharp-Hughes Rock Bit Company found virtually all the oil discovered during the initial years of rotary drilling, and Hughes Jr. became one the wealthiest persons in the world. This discovery of oil in Texas helped make it one of the wealthiest states in the U.S.