Louis Cameron "L. C." Hughes (May 15, 1842 – November 24, 1915) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

editor,

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

union organizer A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers. In some unions, the orga ...

, and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as the eleventh

Governor of Arizona Territory The governor of Arizona is the head of government of the U.S. state of Arizona. As the top elected official, the governor is the head of the executive branch of the Arizona state government and is charged with faithfully executing state laws. The ...

. A

Gilded Age In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he was an active supporter of

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

and the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

Background

Hughes was born on May 15, 1842, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, to

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

immigrants Samuel and Elizabeth (Edwards) Hughes. The ninth of ten children, which included siblings Samuel, Thomas and Annie he was orphaned in 1845 and lived in an orphanage for several years. At the age of ten, Hughes was

indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...

d to a "Calvinist farmer". At sixteen, Hughes gained his release and lived in

Meadville, Pennsylvania Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. The city is within of Erie and within of Pittsburgh. It was the first permanent settlement in Northwestern Pennsylvania. The population was 13,388 at the 2010 censu ...

, working his way through a local academy until the start of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

.Goff p. 141 A strong abolitionist, Hughes attempted to enlist in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

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. Returning home, he enlisted in a government

machine shop A machine shop or engineering workshop (UK) is a room, building, or company where machining, a form of subtractive manufacturing, is done. In a machine shop, machinists use machine tools and cutting tools to make parts, usually of metal or plast ...

and, after becoming a

journeyman A journeyman, journeywoman, or journeyperson is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that fie ...

, joined the Machinists and Blacksmiths Union #2 in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

.Wagoner p. 310 Once his health recovered, he re-enlisted in the army as a sergeant with Knapp's Pittsburgh Battery stationed at

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

and served 100 days before the end of the war.Goff p. 142 Following the war, Hughes worked as a

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

, saving money and attending

Meadville Theological School The Meadville Lombard Theological School is a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Chicago, Illinois. History Meadville Lombard is a result of a merger in the 1930s between two institutions, a Unitarian seminary and a Universalist seminary. M ...

and

Edinboro State Normal School PennWest Edinboro is a campus of Pennsylvania Western University, a multi-campus public university in Pennsylvania. Located in the town of Edinboro, the campus has more than 4,600 enrolled students. History Edinboro University was founded ...

. For a time, he considered entering the ministry and also studied law.Goff pp. 142–43 He remained active in union activities during this period, helping to form the

Ancient Order of United Workmen The Ancient Order of United Workmen (AOUW) was a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada, providing mutual social and financial support after the American Civil War. It was the first of the "fraternal benefit societies", organizatio ...

. Hughes' other union efforts included gathering 7,000 signatures on a petition calling for establishment of an

eight-hour day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses. An eight-hour work day has its origins in the 16 ...

for government workers and founding a Rochdale Plan

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

store. By 1868, his prominence had grown to the point where 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. Hughes married E. Josephine Brawley in July 1868. Mrs. Hughes, who was called the "Mother of Arizona" by Arizona Governor

George W. P. Hunt George Wylie Paul Hunt (November 1, 1859 – December 24, 1934) was an American politician and businessman. He was the List of Governors of Arizona, first governor of Arizona, serving a total of seven terms, along with President of the convent ...

, was a women's suffragist and friend of

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to so ...

and

Frances Willard Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879 an ...

. She was also an active member of the

. The couple had three children: Gertrude, John Titus, and Josephine Mabel.

Arizona

Health concerns prompted Hughes to move to

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, 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 A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

, was then appointed a

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

, 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. 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.Goff p. 143 This was followed by his appointment as United States court commissioner in the late 1880s and to the Board of Managers to

The Chicago World's Fair The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

in 1891.Goff pp. 143–44 Politically, Hughes was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price atte ...

1888 In Germany, 1888 is known as the Year of the Three Emperors. Currently, it is the year that, when written in Roman numerals, has the most digits (13). The next year that also has 13 digits is the year 2388. The record will be surpassed as late ...

, and

1892 Events January–March * January 1 – Ellis Island begins accommodating immigrants to the United States. * February 1 - The historic Enterprise Bar and Grill was established in Rico, Colorado. * February 27 – Rudolf Diesel applies for ...

. 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 The ''Arizona Daily Star'' is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. History L. C. Hughes was the Arizona Territory governor and founder of the ''Arizona Star'', ...

''. As editor he supported creation of

land courts Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various isla ...

to determine the validity of Spanish and Mexican

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

s for land within the territory and pushed for the deportation of the indigenous

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

swamplands. Hughes consistently opposed liquor and gambling interest while championing the women's suffrage movement. He also advocated creation of

savings and loan association A savings and loan association (S&L), or thrift institution, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans. The terms "S&L" or "thrift" are mainly used in the United States; simi ...

s as a means to promote creation of new housing.Wagoner p. 311

Governor of Arizona Territory

He became Governor of Arizona Territory on April 14, 1893. He had liberal views. He wanted to clean up the elections process because voters were being bought with alcohol. He endorsed women's suffrage, the secret ballots, and felt most of the laws in Arizona, such as laws on houses of prostitution, furnishing liquor to minors, punishing adultery, and the following of the Sabbath law, were all being ignored. He wanted the establishment of a board of control for government agencies like the Territorial Prison and the Insane Asylum and also the establishment of a Board of Immigration to encourage business to come to Arizona. Irrigation and the booming lumber industry in Flagstaff was his major priority. He reduced the territorial debt and created a non-partisan board of control. Due to his liberal views, he created several enemies. So much so that in April of 1896, newspaper man P. J. Clark attacked the Governor by punching him in the face, in which the Governor was rushed to the doctors. As a result of the extreme hatred, he was removed from the office in 1896. He was on the Board of Regents in 1897 and eventually returned to running his newspaper, the ''Arizona Star''. He favored joint statehood with New Mexico in 1904 and 1905. He left the ''Arizona Star'' in 1907.

Death

He died on November 24, 1915, in Tucson. He is buried there in Evergreen Cemetery.

References

Other sources

* * * William H. Lyon (1983) ''Louis C. Hughes, Arizona's Editorial Gadfly'' (The Journal of Arizona History, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 171–200)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Louis Cameron 1842 births 1915 deaths Trade unionists from Pennsylvania American newspaper editors American suffragists American temperance activists Arizona Attorneys General Arizona city council members Arizona Democrats Arizona lawyers Arizona pioneers Governors of Arizona Territory Journalists from Pennsylvania Lawyers from Philadelphia Politicians from Philadelphia Politicians from Tucson, Arizona People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Tucson, Arizona Women newspaper editors 19th-century American lawyers