Roy Hofheinz
| Roy Hofheinz | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Roy Mark Hofheinz April 10, 1912 Beaumont, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 22, 1982 (aged 70) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Glenwood Cemetery in Houston |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | "The Judge" |
| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Known for | Pioneering modern stadiums |
| Predecessor | Oscar F. Holcombe |
| Successor | Oscar F. Holcombe |
| Spouse(s) | Irene Cafcalas (1912-1966), (m. 1933-1966, her death) |
| Children |
Roy Hofheinz, Jr., Dene Hofheinz-Anton |
Roy Hofheinz, Jr.,
Roy Mark Hofheinz (April 10, 1912 – November 22, 1982), popularly known as Judge Hofheinz or "The Judge", was a Texas state representative from 1934 to 1936, county judge of Harris County, Texas from 1936 to 1944, and mayor of the city of Houston from 1953 to 1955.
A flamboyant and successful orator, broadcaster, developer, and sportsman, he was part of the group that created a Major League Baseball franchise the Houston Colt .45s (which later became the Houston Astros) to Houston, as well as built the Harris County Domed Stadium, known as the Astrodome, the first large covered baseball and football facility in the world. Known in his youth as the "boy Mayor," at 23 he was the youngest county administrator in the state. He acted as campaign manager for Lyndon B. Johnson during Johnson's rise to the position of Congressman and then Senator.
After World War II Hofheinz pioneered FM radio and built a network of radio and television stations (790 KTHT Houston now KBME, 1530 KSOX Harlingen TX now KGBT, 680 KBAT San Antonio now KKYX) in the Texas Gulf Coast area, and made a business of salvaging the slag from steelmaking, crushing it and selling it as roadbuilding aggregate. Later, after the "Dome" was built, he worked with engineers at Monsanto Corporation to develop Astroturf, an imitation grass now widely used where natural grass does not flourish. In the 1960s he purchased, along with Israel and Irvin Feld, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, later selling his interest to Mattel, Inc. His giant southwest Houston development project, the Astrodomain, included the first major theme park in coastal Texas, Astroworld. This development came at hard times just before the recession during the early 1970s. His son, Fred Hofheinz, served as mayor of Houston in the 1970s.
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