L. C. Hughes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 11th Governor of Arizona Territory | |
| In office April 12, 1893 – April 1, 1896 | |
| Nominated by | Grover Cleveland |
| Preceded by | Oakes Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Joseph Franklin |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | E. Josephine Brawley |
| Profession | Journalist |
Louis Cameron "L. C." Hughes (May 15, 1842 – November 24, 1915) was an American newspaper editor, lawyer, union organizer, and politician who served as the eleventh Governor of Arizona Territory. A Gilded Age Democratic, he was an active supporter of women's suffrage and the temperance movement.
Background
editHughes was born on May 15, 1842 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Welsh immigrants Samuel and Elizabeth (Edwards) Hughes. The ninth of ten children, he was orphaned in 1845 and lived in an orphanage for several years. At the age of ten, Hughes was indentured to a "Calvinist farmer". At sixteen, Hughes gained his release and lived in Meadville, Pennsylvania working his way through a local academy until the start of the American Civil War.[1]
A strong abolitionist, Hughes attempted to enlist in the Union Army but had difficulty doing so due to generally poor health and his small stature. He did enlist with Company A, 101st Pennsylvania Volunteers for two years before health problems forced him to leave.[1] Returning home, he enlisted in a government machine shop and after becoming a journeyman joined the Machinists and Blacksmiths Union #2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2] Once his health recovered, he reenlisted in the army as a sergeant with Knapp's Pittsburgh Battery stationed at Washington D.C. and served 100 days before the end of the war.[3]
Following the war, Hughes worked as a machinist, saving money and attending Meadville Theological School and Edinboro State Normal School.[4] For a time, he considered entering the ministry ans also studied law.[5] He remained active in union activities during this period, helping to form the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Hughes' other union efforts included gathering 7,000 signatures on a petition calling for establishment of an eight-hour day for government workers and founding a Rochdale Plan cooperative store. By 1868, his prominence had grown to the point were he was selected as a speaker for the Columbus, Ohio meeting of the International Convention of Machinists and Blacksmiths' Union of America and Great Britain.[4]
Hughes married E. Josephine Brawley in July 1868. Mrs. Hughes, who was called the "Mother of Arizona" by Arizona Governor George W. P. Hunt, was a women's suffragist and friend of Susan B. Anthony and Frances Willard. She was also an active member of the temperance movement. The couple had three children: Gertrude, John Titus, and Josephine Mabel.[5]
Arizona
editHealth concerns prompted Hughes to move to Tucson, Arizona in late 1871. Upon his arrival he opened a law practice and was admitted to practice before the district court. In June 1872, Hughes became a member of the city council, was then appointed a probate judge, and in November 1872 was elected county attorney. He was admitted to practice before the territorial supreme court on January 17, 1873 and appointed Attorney General for the territory by Governor Safford on April 15, 1873. Governor Safford appointed him Attorney General on April 15, 1973. In August the same year, Hughes resigned following accusations that he and Judge John Titus had attempted to improperly exert influence over a mine owner.[6] This was followed by his appointment as United States court commissioner in the late 1880s and to the Board of Managers to the The Chicago World's Fair in 1891.[7] Politically, Hughes was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1884, 1888, and 1892.
In 1877, Hughes stopped practicing law full time and began publishing a newspaper that, following a series of name changes, became the Arizona Daily Star. As editor he supported creation of land courts to determine the validity of Spanish and Mexican land grants for land within the territory and pushed for the deportation of the indigenous Apache to Florida swamplands. Hughes consistently opposed liquor and gambling interest while championing the women's suffrage movement. He also advocated creation of savings and loan associations as a means to promote creation of new housing.[8]
Governorship
editAfter office
editAfter leaving office, Hughes returned to his job as editor of the Arizona Daily Star. Other activities included organizing the Azurita Copper and Gold Mining Company and serving as chairman of the University of Arizona board of reagents from September 1897 till September 1898.[9]
supported joint statehood
sold the Star in 1907
Remained active till shortly before his death on November 24, 1915. Hughes was buries in Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson, Arizona.[9]
Notes
editFootnotess
edit- ^ a b Goff 1978, p. 141.
- ^ Wagoner 1970, p. 310.
- ^ Goff 1978, p. 1412.
- ^ a b Goff 1978, p. 142.
- ^ a b Goff 1978, pp. 142–3.
- ^ Goff 1978, p. 143.
- ^ Goff 1978, pp. 143–4.
- ^ Wagoner 1970, p. 311.
- ^ a b Goff 1978, p. 151.
- ^ "Death Claims Ex-Governor Louis C. Hughes". Arizona Republican. Phoenix. November 25, 1915. p. 1.
References
edit- Goff, John S. (1978). Arizona Territorial Officials Volume II: The Governors 1863-1912. Cave Creek, Arizona: Black Mountain Press. OCLC 5100411.
- Lyon, William H. (Summer 1983). "Louis C. Hughes, Arizona's Editorial Gadfly". The Journal of Arizona History. 24 (2). Arizona Historical Society: 171–200. JSTOR 41859507.
- Wagoner, Jay J. (1970). Arizona Territory 1863–1912: A Political history. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 0-8165-0176-9.
External links
edit
Category:Governors of Arizona Territory Category:Arizona Attorneys General Category:American labor unionists Category:Arizona lawyers Category:American newspaper editors