Date Original
1924-1941
Description
Financial documents, mostly related to real estate interests, of Douglas and Minnie Jones Hopson and their son William Douglas Hopson in Clay County and Pulaski County, Arkansas, 1924-1940
Biographical/Historical Note
Originally from Illinois, Douglas Hopson (1859-1936), came to Corning, Arkansas in 1889. Trained as a lawyer, Hopson organized the first title abstract company in the area, the First National Bank of Corning and also the Western Clay County Drainage District, investing significantly in farmlands. He and his wife, Minnie Jones Hopson (1868-?), also originally from Carmi, Illinois, with children Marie and William Douglas, moved to Little Rock in 1918. There, Hopson continued his investment activities - particularly in Pike's Addition and the John Barrows areas. He also contributed significantly to Galloway and Hendrix colleges, the John Brown school and other charities. William Douglas Hopson (1907-1996) educated at Vanderbilt University (undergraduate degree, George Washington University (engineering, University of Arkansas (juris doctor)continued in his father's footsteps as a solo practitioner of law and a real estate inventorships married Laura Wooldridge (1905-2003), who apparently retained her family name, in 1937. During the 1930s-1940, the younger Hopson represented the Municipal League, a good government organization in the state. In the same period, he bought up considerable rural land, often through sheriffs' sales and tax forfeit deeds. A National Guard pilot, Hopson went on active duty in World War II, becoming a member of the legendary Flying Tigers unit in China. Following the war, he had a distinguished career as a United States Air Force officer, retiring as colonel in 1961 and continuing to fly until 1989. He and his wife are buried in Mt. Holly Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas
Language
English
Identifier
SMC.045.001
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Hopson family papers, SMC.045.001
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Hopson family papers, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
