Henley, Nadine, 1906-1990

Nadine Henley was a top executive of Howard Hughes' corporate empire. Born on November 8, 1906 in Bloomington, Indiana, Henley first worked for banking and investment companies, such as Lehman Brothers in Chicago, Illinois. Henley traded stocks on the stock exchange floor in 1936, becoming one of the first women to do so. In 1940, Henley moved to California to work for Howard Hughes in the Hughes Aircraft engineering department, eventually becoming Hughes' private secretary in 1943. In the late 1960s, Henley remained in Los Angeles, California to oversee Hughes' corporations while Hughes lived in Las Vegas, Nevada. During this time, Henley was the only woman to serve on Hughes' executive board, and continued to serve as the vice president and director of Summa Corporation after Hughes' death in 1976.

Henley retired in 1979 and died on July 13, 1990 in Las Vegas. During her life, she married five times but had no children.

Source:

Times Staff and Wire Reports. "Nadine Henley; Summa Corp. Executive." Los Angeles Times. July 15, 1990. Accessed April 7, 2022. https://www.proquest.com/hnplatimes/docview/1459812489/3D9361B14A524E25PQ