James Anthony Hughes (February 27, 1861March 2, 1930) was a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from the state of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

. Hughes was born near Corunna in the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on th ...

(in what is now

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

). He immigrated to the United States as a youth, graduating from business school in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

in 1875. He worked as a bank messenger, travelling salesman, and a businessman before being elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1888, serving a two-year term. He was a member of the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in t ...

from 1894 to 1898. In 1896, Hughes was appointed postmaster of Huntington, West Virginia. He was a delegate to every Republican National Convention from 1892 to 1924. In 1900, Hughes was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives in the 4th congressional district. After his first term, he represented West Virginia's 5th, and was elected six additional times before choosing not to run again in 1914. During his time as a Representative, he served as chair of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings and as chair of the Committee on Accounts. After eleven years of retirement he was re-elected to the House in 1926 for the 4th congressional district. He served two terms before dying in office on March 2, 1930, in Marion, Ohio. He was interred in Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington. Hughes was, through his marriage to Belle Vinson, a member of the Vinson political family. His daughter,

Eloise Hughes Smith Mary Eloise Hughes Smith (August 7, 1893 – May 3, 1940), also referred to as Eloise Smith or Mrs. Lucian P. Smith, was a survivor of the 1912 RMS ''Titanic'' disaster. Her first husband, Lucian P. Smith, scion of a wealthy Morgantown fam ...

, was among the survivors of the RMS ''Titanic'' disaster. Her husband, Lucien P. Smith, died in the sinking. She later married another Titanic survivor, Robert Daniel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, James Canadian emigrants to the United States Hughes, James A. Hughes, James A. Politicians from Huntington, West Virginia People from Lambton County 1861 births 1930 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia Burials at Spring Hill Cemetery (Huntington, West Virginia) West Virginia Republicans

See also

References