Rupert Hughes
Rupert Hughes (1872—1956) was an American novelist, film director, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, military officer, and music composer. He was the brother of Howard R. Hughes, Sr. and uncle of billionaire Howard R. Hughes, Jr. His three volume scholarly biography of George Washington broke new ground in demythologizing Washington and was well received by historians. A staunch anti-Communist, in the 1940s he served as president of the American Writers Association, a group of anti-Communist writers.
Early life
Hughes was born on January 31, 1872 in Lancaster. Rupert spent his early years in the Lancaster area until age seven when the family moved to Keokuk, Iowa, where his father established a successful law practice.
Rupert Hughes' first published a poem while still a child growing up in Lancaster. After receiving his basic public education in Keokuk and at a private military academy near St. Charles, Missouri, Rupert Hughes attended Adelbert College in Ohio, earning a B.A. in 1892 and M.A. in 1894. Originally intending a career teaching English Literature, Hughes later attended Yale University, earning a second M.A. degree in 1899.