Caroline Rose Hunt facts for kids

Caroline Rose Hunt (born January 8, 1923 – died November 13, 2018) was an American businesswoman. She was known for starting Rosewood Hotels & Resorts in 1979, a company that owns many fancy hotels. At one time, she was one of the richest women in the United States.

Early Life and Education

Caroline Rose Hunt was born in Arkansas on January 8, 1923. Her father, H. L. Hunt, was a very successful oilman, and her mother was Lyda Bunker. Caroline was one of seven children.

When she was a child, her family lived in Tyler, a town in east Texas. Caroline later shared that she didn't realize how wealthy her family was until she saw a Life magazine picture of her father. The picture had a question that asked, "Is this the richest man in the world?"

Caroline went to the Hockaday School, which was a special boarding school for girls in Dallas. After that, she studied at Mary Baldwin College in Virginia for two years. She then moved to the University of Texas at Austin. There, she earned a degree in English and art history.

Starting a Business

Before she got married for the first time, Caroline worked in her father's office in Dallas. She also worked as a sales clerk at the Neiman Marcus department store. For many years, she focused on her family and helping others through charity work. She didn't have a job outside her home until she was 55 years old.

In 1980, Caroline opened The Mansion Restaurant in Dallas. In the same year, she started Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. This company became famous for owning luxury hotels. Rosewood once owned the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles. Today, it owns the Carlyle Hotel in New York City and many other high-end hotels around the world. In 2011, Caroline sold Rosewood and some of its hotels to a billionaire from Hong Kong named Henry Cheng.

Caroline also created a line of bath and skin products called Lady Primrose. This idea came from an English country antiques shop she opened with a friend in 1987.

Besides her business ventures, Caroline Rose Hunt was also an author. In 2000, she wrote a novel called Primrose Past: The 1848 Journal of Young Lady Primrose. She also wrote two cookbooks.

Giving Back to the Community

Caroline Rose Hunt was a generous person who gave a lot to charity. This is called philanthropy. In 1991, she and her sister Margaret helped pay to restore Hilltop. This is an old building at Mary Baldwin College that is important to history.

In 2013, she received an award from the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. This was to thank her for her many donations to the United Way. Caroline also gave money to other important groups. These included the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the American Red Cross. She also supported the Heritage Foundation and the Library of Congress.

For ten years, she was on the board of trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. She also helped lead the Retina Foundation of the Southwest. This group does research on eye conditions like macular degeneration, which Caroline herself had. She also supported many other cultural and educational groups in Dallas.

Personal Life

Caroline Rose Hunt was married two times. Her first husband was Loyd Bowmer Sands, who was a pilot in the United States Navy. They had five children together. They later divorced in 1973.

After that, she married Buddy Schoellkopf. They also later divorced.

Caroline Rose Hunt passed away on November 13, 2018, in Dallas, Texas. She was 95 years old and died from a stroke.