Hogg, Ima (1882–1975)

American philanthropist who funded music, education, and the field of mental health. Born on July 10, 1882, in Mineola, Texas; died in London, England, on August 19, 1975; only daughter and second of four children of James Stephen Hogg (lawyer and governor of Texas) and Sallie (Stinson) Hogg; graduated from Carrington Preparatory School; attended University of Texas (1899–1901); studied piano at the National Conservatory in New York and in Germany; never married; no children.

Known simply as "Miss Ima" in her home state of Texas, philanthropist Ima Hogg was one of four children of Sallie Stinson Hogg and James Stephen Hogg, a political heavyweight and the state's first native-born governor. James, seemingly unaware that he was subjecting his daughter to a lifetime of ridicule, named her after the heroine of a poem, "The Fate of Marvin," written by his brother. The unusual name caused Hogg a lifetime of pain that was sometimes shared by the rest of the family. She later recalled that her older brother Will often came home from school bloodied from schoolyard fights defending her.

Hogg was raised amid the political figures and famous people that frequented the governor's mansion. (She was just nine when she attended her father's inauguration.) It was a privileged, carefree childhood, saddened only by the early death of her mother from tuberculosis. Remaining particularly close to her father and brothers, Hogg attended Carrington Preparatory School and spent much of her free time practicing the piano. She spent two years at the University of Texas, leaving to continue her music studies at the National Conservatory of Music in New York City, and later in Germany. Meanwhile, her father pursued an interest in the fledgling Texas oil industry. Upon his death in 1906, James Hogg left his children not only a legacy of civic responsibility, but several parcels of real estate in West Columbia bubbling with oil. With the income from her father's estate and her oil profits, Hogg devoted herself to the betterment of Texas.

In 1909, she moved to Houston, where she lived until 1975. In keeping with her interest in music, she undertook a major role in establishing a symphony orchestra in that city. With a group of her friends, she solicited donations, organized the local musicians, and arranged for the first concert, which was held in 1913, at Houston's Majestic Theater. From these early efforts, the Houston symphony rose to become one of the nation's finest orchestras. Throughout her life, Hogg continued to contribute to the symphony, serving as president of the Symphony Society for a number of years and kicking off each season with a gala party in her home. She was influential in bringing world-famous conductors to Houston and, in 1946, donated an extra $100,000 to the annual budget in order to obtain the services of Efrem Kurtz. Called Houston's "Empress of the Symphony" by Time magazine, Hogg was honored in 1972 when Artur Rubinstein appeared with the symphony to celebrate her 90th birthday.

Second to Hogg's love of music was her love of antique furniture, which she began seriously collecting in 1920, with the help and encouragement of her brother Will. In 1927, when their combined collection became so extensive that it could not be housed, they commissioned Houston architect John Staub to build Bayou Bend, a house that would provide an adequate backdrop for the collection and also serve as the family home. In 1966, according to a preconceived plan, Hogg gave the mansion and the collection (which included rare Duncan Phyfe and Chippendale furniture, as well as paintings by American artists John Singleton Copley, Charles Will-son Peale, and Edward Hicks) to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts for use as a decorative arts museum. "When you love something enough it's easy to give it up in order to see it go on," she said, when asked whether she would miss her home. According to Lee Malone, a director of the museum, the Hogg collection was one of the best in the country, rivaling only that of the Metropolitan Museum's American wing and the Dupont's Winterthur Museum in Delaware.

In conjunction with her love of antiques, Hogg also undertook several important historic restorations, including her parents' first home in Quitman, Texas; the Varner-Hogg plantation near West Columbia, which she donated to Texas in 1958 as a state park; and the historic Winedale Inn in Fayette County, built in 1834, and purchased by Hogg in 1963. After initially thinking she would move the inn to Bayou Bend, Hogg decided to restore it on site. To insure the authenticity of the restoration, she went to New York to study how it should be done, and upon her return took a cottage nearby in order to supervise the work to her perfectionist standards. The completed restoration, authentic down to its square nails and wallpaper designs, was given to the University of Texas in 1965, with an endowment for its support and a plan to make it a center for the study of the ethnic cultures which had migrated to Texas in the early 19th century.

Hogg had two other consuming interests: education and mental health, both of which had also engaged her father. In 1943, at the request of the Citizen's Educational Committee, she ran for a seat on the school board, even though it was against her better judgment. "She was interested in getting a liberal school board," remembered a friend, "in getting visiting teachers and nurses for the schools." Hogg won the election for a six-year term but took a beating for her liberal views and decided not to try for a second term. She never again ran for public office, though she remained committed to the city's young people. She was instrumental in founding the Houston Child Guidance Center, a pioneering institution in child psychiatry, and also supported the children's concerts started by Houston Symphony conductor Ernst Hoffman.

Like her older brother Will, Hogg had strong ties to the University of Texas. When Will died in 1930, he left the bulk of his estate to the university with the stipulation that another family member could determine its use, provided he or she also contributed to the same purpose. In accordance with this provision, and feeling that her brother would approve her decision, Hogg chose to support the field of mental health. In 1940, the Hogg Foundation was established; its mission was to improve quality of life with new approaches to mental health. The Foundation, which was centered at the university, began by sending a group of men and women to small towns and rural areas in the state to lecture on the subject of mental health. (One newspaper referred to them as a "new type of circuit rider.") Through the years, programs shifted to meet changing needs. During the war, efforts were focused on helping resolve the problems of military families and of those working in industry for the

first time. In later years, programs were expanded to include community services, the education and training of mental health professionals, publication of books and materials, and contributions to research.

Somewhat shy and overshadowed by her brothers in her youth, Hogg grew more outspoken with age, although her willfulness was always tempered with charm and modesty. Bestowed with numerous honors throughout her life, she was always quick to credit others. When accepting an honorary degree from Southwestern University, she told the audience: "In honoring me you honor many other people, for my fulfillment is due to the work of others." As an old woman, Hogg was a regal presence, quite formal at times, but filled with a zest for living. At a 93rd birthday celebration, she enjoyed hot dogs and chili, washed down with her famous Fishhouse punch. Soon after that birthday, Hogg embarked on a trip to England, although friends cautioned her against traveling so far at her advanced age. "When you're ninety-three, it doesn't matter where you die," she quipped. Ima Hogg was hospitalized in London after a fall from a taxi, and died there of a heart attack on August 19, 1975.

sources:

Crawford, Ann Fears, and Crystal Sasse Ragsdale. Women in Texas. Austin, TX: State House Press, 1992.

Iscoe, Louise Kosches. Ima Hogg: First Lady of Texas. Austin, TX: Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, 1976.

Sicherman, Barbara, and Carol Hurd Green, eds. Notable American Women: The Modern Period. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1980.

Barbara Morgan , Melrose, Massachusetts