Owen Edward Hughes (1848–1932) was a British-born judge and territorial level politician in Canada. He served as a Member of the

North-West Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

Legislative Assembly from 1885 until 1888.

Early life

Owen Hughes was born in London, England, in 1848. Hughes and his brother were sent to school in France following the death of his father around 1852. After finishing school in France, he moved to Germany to attend university at either Heidelberg or Hannover.

Military career

According to Owen Hughes, he joined the German Army sometime between 1864 and 1866 and was still enlisted in 1870 at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian war. Upon learning that his brother was fighting for the other side, he deserted and returned to England. He claimed to then have been involved in running guns from England to France and in 1871, he was able to get his brother out of France. Hughes then moved to the North-West Territories as an employee of Kew Stobart and Co. and worked in

Nelson River The Nelson River is a river of north-central North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The river drains Lake Winnipeg and runs before it ends in Hudson Bay. Its full length (including the Saskatchewan River and Bow River) is , it ...

from 1873–74 and in

The Pas The Pas ( ; french: Le Pas) is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the Saskatchewan River and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provinc ...

in 1875. In 1876, Stobard retired from Duck Lake and Hughes was appointed head of their fur trade business. In 1879, four militia companies were organised in the Prince Albert area and he was appointed the captain of the Duck Lake company that consisted mainly of

Metis Metis or Métis may refer to: Ethnic groups * Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and America whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peoples and early European settlers, primar ...

from the Duck Lake,

Batoche Batoche may refer to: *Batoche, Saskatchewan, a historic site in Saskatchewan * Batoche (electoral district), an electoral district in Saskatchewan * Batoche (former electoral district), a former electoral district in Saskatchewan *Batoche (N.W.T. e ...

and St. Laurent. Gabriel Dumont was one of his two lieutenants. The militia units were disbanded in 1884 only sightly prior to the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...

. After Dumont's victory at Duck Lake, Hughes is reported to have said to Middleton, "Gabriel Dumont, my lieutenant, and my half-breeds who have just driven your army back. Great Scot, had I been there to lead them, we'd have driven you out of the country." Despite the fact that many of his friends fought with

Riel Riel may refer to: Places *Riel, Netherlands, a town in the Netherlands *Riel (electoral district), a provincial electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, named after Louis Riel * Riel, Winnipeg, a community committee comprising three city wards Peo ...

, Hughes fought on the Federal Government side, was present at the Battle of Battoche and accompanied Middleton's men aboard the Northcoate.

Judicial career

Hughes is listed as a witness to the signing of

Treaty 5 ''Treaty Five'' is a treaty that was first established in September, 1875, between Queen Victoria and Saulteaux and Swampy Cree non-treaty band governments and peoples around Lake Winnipeg in the District of Keewatin. A written text is include ...

at Norway House in 1875. In 1876, Hughes was appointed as a Senior Magistrate of the

District of Keewatin The District of Keewatin was a territory of Canada and later an administrative district of the Northwest Territories. It was created in 1876 by the ''Keewatin Act'', and originally it covered a large area west of Hudson Bay. In 1905, it became a ...

and of the North-West Territories in 1878. He also served as Sheriff of the

District of Saskatchewan The District of Saskatchewan was a regional administrative district of Canada's North-West Territories. It was formed in 1882 was later enlarged then abolished with the creation of the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta in 1905. Much of the a ...

from 1887 to 1899.

Political career

Hughes was first elected to the North-West Territories Legislature in the

1885 North-West Territories election The 1885 North-West Territories election was the first major election in the history of the territory. On 15 September 1885, 11 members were elected in separate elections or by acclamation. The elections saw members acclaimed and elected in vario ...

. He defeated candidate Andrew Porter by eight votes to win the Lorne electoral district and his first term in office. Hughes ran for re-election in the

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...

electoral district in the

1888 North-West Territories general election The 1888 North-West Territories general election was the first general election in the history of the North-West Territories, Canada. Elections were held in various districts between 20 June and 30 June 1888. This was the only general election, ...

. The electoral district was mandated to return two members to the assembly in that election. He was defeated by

William Plaxton William Plaxton (1843–1907) was a Canadian politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. Plaxton ran for election for the first time in the 1888 Northwest Territories general election in the Prince ...

and

John Felton Betts John Felton Betts (October 9, 1854 – May 9, 1914Perry, Footz (2006) 224) was a merchant and political figure in the Northwest Territories, Canada. He represented Prince Albert and then Cumberland in the Legislative Assembly of the Nort ...

finishing third place in a field of three candidates.

Family

In 1881, Hughes married Isabella Inkster, a member of a prominent Anglo-Metis family in Winnipeg. They had two sons.

References

External links

Election Results and Dates 1876 - 1905 from Saskatchewan Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Owen 1848 births 1932 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories