Simon P. Hughes, Jr. (April 14, 1830 – June 29, 1906) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as the 15th

governor of Arkansas The governor of Arkansas is the head of government of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics and government of Arkansas, Arkansas government a ...

from 1885 to 1889. He previously served as an

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

of the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

in the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

and

Trans-Mississippi Trans-Mississippi was a common name of the geographic area west of the Mississippi River during the 19th century. The term "Trans-Mississippi" was historically used to refer to any land "across the Mississippi" (or the entire western two-thirds ...

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

s of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Early life and education

Simon P. Hughes, Jr. was born in

Smith County, Tennessee Smith County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,904. Smith County is located in the region of the state known as Middle Tennessee. Its cou ...

, the son of Simon P. Hughes and Mary Hubbard Hughes. Hughes Sr., originally from

Prince Edward County, Virginia Prince Edward County is located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 21,849. Its county seat is Farmville, Virginia, Farmville. History Formation an ...

, was a farmer,

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

and a member of the Tennessee legislature from 1842 to 1843, Mary Hubbard was a native of

Oglethorpe County, Georgia Oglethorpe County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,825. The county seat is Lexington. Oglethorpe County is included in the Athens-Clarke County, GA Met ...

. In 1842, Mary Hughes died and the family moved to

Bowie County, Texas Bowie County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Texas. Its legal county seat is Boston, Texas, Boston, though its courthouse is located in New Boston, Texas, New Boston. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

. Hughes Sr. died in Texas in 1844, making Hughes at orphan at the age of fourteen. Hughes moved to Arkansas in December 1849, and was educated at Sylvan Academy and Clinton College in Tennessee. In 1853, Hughes was elected sheriff of

Monroe County, Arkansas Monroe County is located in the Arkansas Delta in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The County (United States), county is named for James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. Created as Arkansas's 20th county on November 2, 1829, Monroe ...

and served for two years. Hughes was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Arkansas in 1857, and started private practice in

Clarendon, Arkansas Clarendon is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. Located in the Arkansas Delta, the city's position on the White River at the mouth of the Cache River has defined the community since first incorporating in ...

. During the

, he was elected captain in the 23d Arkansas Infantry of the

rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Later in the war, following a reorganization of the 23d Arkansas, Hughes enlisted as a private in Charles L. Morgan's Independent Texas Cavalry unit.

Political career

Following the war, Hughes served in the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House has 100 members elected from an equal number of constituencies across the state. Each distr ...

from 1866 to 1867, and was a delegate to the 1874 Arkansas Constitutional Convention. Hughes formed a law practice with William W. Smith in

and became involved in Democratic politics. He was elected to the post of

Arkansas Attorney General The attorney general of Arkansas, usually known simply as the attorney general (AG), is one of Arkansas's seven constitutional officers. The officeholder serves as the state's top law enforcement officer and consumer advocate. History The at ...

and served from 1874 to 1877. He was elected

, being sworn in, in January 1885. He was reelected in 1886. During his terms, public executions were abolished in Arkansas and the sale of liquor was restricted. In 1889, he was elected to the

Arkansas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Arkansas is the highest court in the state judiciary of Arkansas. It has ultimate and largely discretionary appellate jurisdiction over all state court cases that involve a point of state law, and original jurisdiction ...

as an

associate justice An associate justice or associate judge (or simply associate) is a judicial panel member who is not the chief justice in some jurisdictions. The title "Associate Justice" is used for members of the Supreme Court of the United States and some ...

and served in that capacity for sixteen years.

Death

Hughes died in

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, and is buried in historic Mount Holly Cemetery at Little Rock.

References

External links

*
Simon P. Hughes Jr.
at the

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American Politics of the United States, political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 U.S. state, states, Territories of the United States, territories ...

Simon P. Hughes Jr.
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Simon P. 1830 births 1906 deaths 19th-century Arkansas state court judges 19th-century American lawyers American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Arkansas attorneys general Arkansas Democrats Arkansas lawyers Arkansas sheriffs Arkansas Whigs Clinton College (Tennessee) Confederate States Army officers Democratic National Committee people Democratic Party governors of Arkansas Governors of Arkansas Justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court Members of the Arkansas House of Representatives People from Monroe County, Arkansas People from Smith County, Tennessee People of Arkansas in the American Civil War 19th-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly