Civic-minded Texans with a distinguished record of service regarding public lands and public parks, the Hugheses have been successful oil-and-gas operators for more than eight decades and have positions in North Texas’s Barnett Shale, the Fayetteville Shale in Arkansas, and the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. The family has invested profits in cattle ranches in Montana, Wyoming, and Texas. In addition to beef production, income is generated through hunting leases.

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