William Clifford Hogg was born on January 31, 1875, in
Quitman, Texas, the eldest child of Sallie (Stinson) Hogg and
James Stephen "Big Jim" Hogg. Jim joined the Texas bar not long after the birth of his first son. Hogg grew up as his father pursued a political career, first gaining election as
Wood County attorney in 1878, District Attorney in 1880, and
Texas Attorney General in 1886. Three younger siblings were born during this time:
Ima Hogg (c. 1882), Michael (1885), and Thomas Elisha (1887). The family moved to Austin in 1886, when Jim accepted his first statewide position, first living in a boarding house before moving into their own single-family house on Fourteenth Street. Hogg was 15 years-old when they moved into the Governor's Mansion. Hogg attended public schools, and briefly attended a secondary school near
Tyler, Texas, before enrolling at
Southwestern University. He considered a career in ministry, though he changed his curriculum at the
University of Texas, where he earned a law degree in 1897. ==Career==