Editing Howard Hughes (section)

==Personal life==
=== Early romances ===

Hughes dated many famous women, including [[Joan Crawford]], [[Terry Moore (actress)|Terry Moore]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Actress Terry Moore, 94, Says Ex Howard Hughes Did 'Unthinkable Things': 'I Was Too Naive' (Exclusive) |url=https://people.com/movies/terry-moore-howard-hughes-did-unthinkable-things-exclusive/ |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref> [[Debra Paget]], [[Billie Dove]], [[Faith Domergue]], [[Bette Davis]], [[Yvonne De Carlo]], [[Ava Gardner]], [[Olivia de Havilland]], [[Katharine Hepburn]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hepburn|first=Katharine|title=Me: Stories of My Life|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.|year=1991|isbn=0679400516|location=New York|pages=193–205}}</ref> [[Hedy Lamarr]], [[Ginger Rogers]], [[Pat Sheehan (model)|Pat Sheehan]],<ref>{{cite book |url={{Google books|LongDwAAQBAJ|page=64|plainurl=yes}} |title=Pat: A Biography of Hollywood's Blonde Starlet |first=Samuel |last=Clemens |publisher=Sequoia Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0394544120}}</ref> [[Gloria Vanderbilt]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Vanderbilt|first=Gloria|title=Black Knight, White Knight|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.|year=1987|isbn=0679400516|location=New York}}</ref> [[Mamie Van Doren]] and [[Gene Tierney]].

He also proposed to [[Joan Fontaine]] several times, according to her [[autobiography]] ''No Bed of Roses''. [[Jean Harlow]] accompanied him to the premiere of ''Hell's Angels'', but Noah Dietrich wrote many years later that the relationship was strictly professional, as Hughes disliked Harlow personally. In his 1971 book, ''Howard: The Amazing Mr. Hughes'', Dietrich said that Hughes genuinely liked and respected [[Jane Russell]], but never sought romantic involvement with her. According to Russell's autobiography, however, Hughes once tried to bed her after a party. Russell (who was married at the time) refused him, and Hughes promised it would never happen again. The two maintained a professional and private friendship for many years. Hughes remained good friends with Tierney who, after his failed attempts to seduce her, was quoted as saying "I don't think Howard could love anything that did not have a motor in it". Later, when Tierney's daughter Daria was born deaf and blind and with a severe [[learning disability]] because of Tierney's exposure to [[rubella]] during her pregnancy, Hughes saw to it that Daria received the best medical care and paid all expenses.<ref>Tierney and Herskowitz 1978, p. 97.</ref>

=== Luxury yacht ===

In 1933, Hughes made a purchase of a luxury steam yacht named the ''[[Rover (yacht)|Rover]]'', which was previously owned by Scottish shipping magnate [[James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape]]. Hughes stated that "I have never seen the ''Rover'' but bought it on the blueprints, photographs and the reports of Lloyd's surveyors. My experience is that the English are the most honest race in the world."<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19331221-1.2.8.aspx "Lord Inchcape's Yacht Bought By American."] ''The Straits Times'' (Singapore Government), December 21, 1933. Retrieved: September 23, 2014.</ref> Hughes renamed the yacht ''Southern Cross'' and later sold her to Swedish entrepreneur [[Axel Wenner-Gren]].<ref>Wisner, Bill. [https://books.google.com/books?id=RnSxbgpkVWoC&pg=PA27 "The Golden Age of Yachts."] ''Motor Boating'', December 1975. Retrieved: September 23, 2014.</ref>

=== 1936 automobile accident ===

On July 11, 1936, Hughes struck and killed a pedestrian named Gabriel S. Meyer with his car at the corner of 3rd Street and Lorraine in Los Angeles.<ref>[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/483044492.html?dids=483044492:483044492&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+12%2C+1936&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=HOWARD+HUGHES'+AUTO+KILLS+MAN+IN+HOLLYWOOD&pqatl=google "Howard Hughes' auto kills man in Hollywood."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107161839/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/483044492.html?dids=483044492%3A483044492&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE%3AAI&type=historic&date=Jul+12%2C+1936&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=HOWARD+HUGHES%27+AUTO+KILLS+MAN+IN+HOLLYWOOD&pqatl=google |date=November 7, 2012 }} ''Chicago Tribune'', July 12, 1936. Retrieved: December 13, 2009.</ref> After the crash, Hughes was taken to the hospital and certified as sober, but an attending doctor made a note that Hughes had been drinking. A witness to the crash told police that Hughes was driving erratically and too fast and that Meyer had been standing in the safety zone of a streetcar stop. Hughes was booked on suspicion of [[negligent homicide]] and held overnight in jail until his attorney, [[Neil S. McCarthy]], obtained a writ of ''[[habeas corpus]]'' for his release pending a coroner's inquest.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120725093952/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/402103021.html?dids=402103021:402103021&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+13%2C+1936&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Sportsman+Arrested+After+Traffic+Death&pqatl=google "Sportsman Arrested After Traffic Death."] ''Los Angeles Times'', July 13, 1936. Retrieved: December 13, 2009.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120725053700/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/460156432.html?dids=460156432:460156432&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+13%2C+1936&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=HOWARD+HUGHES+FACING+HEARING+IN+AUTO+DEATH&pqatl=google "Howard Hughes facing hearing in auto death."] ''Chicago Tribune'', July 12, 1936. Retrieved: December 13, 2009.</ref> By the time of the coroner's inquiry, however, the witness had changed his story and claimed that Meyer had moved directly in front of Hughes' car. Nancy Bayly (Watts), who was in the car with Hughes at the time of the crash, corroborated this version of the story. On July 16, 1936, Hughes was held blameless by a coroner's jury at the inquest into Meyer's death.<ref>[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/402113781.html?dids=402113781:402113781&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+16%2C+1936&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Millionaire+Flyer+and+Society+Girl+Testify+at+Inquest&pqatl=google "Millionaire Flyer and Society Girl testify at Inquest."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107161900/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/402113781.html?dids=402113781:402113781&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+16%2C+1936&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Millionaire+Flyer+and+Society+Girl+Testify+at+Inquest&pqatl=google |date=November 7, 2012 }} ''Los Angeles Times'', July 13, 1936. Retrieved: December 13, 2009.</ref> Hughes told reporters outside the inquiry, "I was driving slowly and a man stepped out of the darkness in front of me".

===Marriage to Jean Peters===
On January 12, 1957, Hughes married actress [[Jean Peters]] at a small hotel in [[Tonopah, Nevada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/660194603/Small-town-plans-Hughes-museum.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925045736/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/660194603/Small-town-plans-Hughes-museum.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2018|title=Small town plans Hughes museum|date=February 11, 2007|website=DeseretNews.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-21-me-39956-story.html|title=Jean Peters; Actress in Film, TV Married Howard Hughes|first=Elaine|last=Woo|date=October 21, 2000|via=LA Times}}</ref> The couple met in the 1940s, before Peters became a film actress.<ref>The ''Delta Democrat-Times'' (Greenville, Mississippi), September 29, 1946, p. 4.</ref> They had a highly publicized romance in 1947 and there was talk of marriage, but she said she could not combine it with her career.<ref name="wdc">"Interview with [[Louella Parsons]]." ''Waterloo Daily Courier'' (Waterloo, Iowa), October 12, 1947, p. 19.</ref> Some later claimed that Peters was "the only woman [Hughes] ever loved",<ref>Anderson, Jack with Les Whitten. "Hughes and Jean Peters." ''[[The Gadsden Times]]'', April 13, 1976, p. 4.</ref> and he reportedly had his security officers follow her everywhere even when they were not in a relationship. Such reports were confirmed by actor [[Max Showalter]], who became a close friend of Peters while shooting ''[[Niagara (1953 film)|Niagara]]'' (1953).<ref name="casey">Weaver 2004, p. 9.</ref> Showalter told an interviewer that because he frequently met with Peters, Hughes' men threatened to ruin his career if he did not leave her alone.<ref name="casey" />

=== Connections to Richard Nixon and Watergate ===

Shortly before the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960 Presidential election]], [[Richard Nixon]] was alarmed when it was revealed that his brother, [[Donald Nixon|Donald]], had received a $205,000 loan from Hughes. It has long been speculated<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_spectator/2012/04/robert_redford_s_watergate_documentary_will_it_explain_whether_nixon_ordered_the_watergate_break_in_.html|title=A Challenge to Robert Redford|last=Rosenbaum|first=Ron|date=April 27, 2012|work=Slate|access-date=October 4, 2017|language=en-US|issn=1091-2339}}</ref> that Nixon's drive to learn what the Democrats were planning in 1972 was based in part on his belief that the Democrats knew about a later bribe that his friend [[Bebe Rebozo]] had received from Hughes after Nixon took office.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2005/feb/28/hughes-bribe-of-nixon-alleged/|title=Hughes bribe of Nixon alleged|newspaper=[[Las Vegas Sun]]|location=Las Vegas, Nevada|date=February 28, 2005|access-date=August 13, 2018}}</ref>

In late 1971, Donald Nixon was collecting intelligence for his brother in preparation for the upcoming presidential election. One of his sources was [[John H. Meier]], a former business adviser of Hughes who had also worked with [[Democratic National Committee]] Chairman [[Larry O'Brien]].<ref>[https://www.archives.gov/research/investigations/watergate/index.html "Records of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force."] ''archives.gov.'' Retrieved: February 25, 2012.</ref>

Meier, in collaboration with former Vice President [[Hubert Humphrey]] and others, wanted to feed misinformation to the Nixon campaign. Meier told Donald that he was sure the Democrats would win the election because Larry O'Brien had a great deal of information on Richard Nixon's illicit dealings with Howard Hughes that had never been released;<ref>[https://www.archives.gov/research/investigations/watergate/hughes-investigation.html "Campaign Contributions Task Force #804 – Hughes/Rebozo Investigation."] ''archives.gov.'' Retrieved: February 25, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hughes, Nixon and the C.I.A.|magazine=[[Playboy]]|publisher=[[Playboy Enterprises]]|location=Chicago, Illinois|date=September 1976}}</ref> O'Brien did not actually have any such information, but Meier wanted Nixon to think that he did. Donald told his brother that O'Brien was in possession of damaging information that could destroy his campaign.<ref>Bellett 1995, pp. 32, 36, 160.</ref> [[Terry Lenzner]], who was the chief investigator for the [[Senate Watergate Committee]], speculates that it was Nixon's desire to know what O'Brien knew about Nixon's dealings with Hughes that may have partially motivated the [[Watergate scandal|Watergate]] break-in.<ref>Stahl, Lesley. [https://web.archive.org/web/20050225084353/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/24/60minutes/main676414.shtml "Watergate: 'Aviator' Connection?, Lesley Stahl Talks To Watergate Investigator About Motive For Break-In."] ''CBS News''. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref>