Richard Halliburton - Personal Life

Personal Life

Halliburton never married. While young he dated several young women and, as revealed in letters to them, was infatuated with at least two. Later in his life, rumors of an impending marriage to Mary Lou Davis, who, with her two children from a previous marriage, resided at Hangover House during the Sea Dragon Expedition, were of little foundation.

Once an adult, and on the open road, Halliburton's sexual associations with members of his own sex became apparent. To protect the image of heroic masculinity he had cultivated to win over an admiring public, he kept secret his true sexual orientation. He seems also to have kept it a secret from his doting parents, who longed for grandchildren from their one surviving son. Among those romantically linked to him were film star Ramón Novarro and philanthropist Noel Sullivan, both of whom shared his enjoyment of the bohemian lifestyle. Halliburton's most enduring relationship was with freelance journalist Paul Mooney, with whom he often shared living quarters and who assisted him with his written work.