Howard Robard Hughes, Sr. (September 9, 1869 – January 14, 1924) was an American businessman. He is best known as the father of Howard Robard Hughes, Jr., the famous American business tycoon. By co-founding the Hughes Tool Company in 1908 and patenting the two-cone rotary drill bit during the Texas Oil Boom, Hughes, Sr. created the fortune that Hughes, Jr. would inherit at the age of 18.