Charles Evans Hughes Jr.

American lawyer (1889–1950)

Charles Evans Hughes Jr.

Hughes at his desk, 1929

20th United States Solicitor General
In office
May 27, 1929 – April 16, 1930
President| Herbert Hoover
Preceded by| William D. Mitchell
Succeeded by| Thomas D. Thacher
Personal details
Born| (1889-11-30)November 30, 1889
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died| January 21, 1950(1950-01-21) (aged 60)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Resting place| Woodlawn Cemetery
Political party| Republican
Spouse|

Marjory Bruce Stuart

(after 1914)​

Children| 4, including H. Stuart Hughes and Charles Evans Hughes III
Parent| Charles Evans Hughes
Alma mater| Brown University (AB)
Harvard University (LLB)
Occupation| Lawyer; Civil servant
Military career
Allegiance|  United States
Service / branch| United States Army
Years of service| 1917—1919
Rank|  Second lieutenant (1918)
Unit|  77th Sustainment Brigade
Battles / wars| First World War

Charles Evans Hughes Jr. (November 30, 1889 – January 21, 1950) was the United States Solicitor General from 1929 to 1930. He was the son of Supreme Court chief justice Charles Evans Hughes.

## Early life

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Hughes was born in New York City on November 30, 1889. He was a son of Antoinette Ellen Carter Hughes (1864–1945) and Charles Evans Hughes, the former governor of New York who served as Chief Justice of the United States and 1916 Republican presidential nominee.[1]

He was an honor graduate of Brown University where he was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. After Brown he attended the Harvard Law School, serving as the president of the Harvard Law Review during his third and final year there. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1912.[1]

## Career

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Admitted to the bar in 1913, Hughes was secretary to New York Judge (and future Supreme Court of the United States Justice) Benjamin N. Cardozo from 1914 to 1916.[2]

After practicing corporate law briefly, Hughes joined the United States Army as a private shortly after U.S. entry into World War I. Serving in field artillery, he was eventually commissioned a second lieutenant on July 12, 1918. He served as an instructor at the artillery school at Saumur and was assigned to the intelligence section of the AEF headquarters in February 1919. He was then assigned to the 77th Division as an aide-de-camp to Brigadier General Pelham D. Glassford. He returned to the United States on April 29 and was discharged on May 9, 1919.[2]

Upon returning from the war, Hughes resumed the practice of primarily corporate law. Hughes practiced in the firm founded by his father, Charles Evans Hughes Sr., then known as Carter, Hughes & Cravath (later known as Hughes Hubbard & Reed).[3]

### Solicitor General

[edit]

Appointed Solicitor General by Herbert Hoover,[4] Hughes was compelled to resign in order to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest when Hoover nominated Hughes's father to be Chief Justice of the United States.[5] Hughes re-joined Carter, Hughes & Cravath.[6] He also served on the board of directors of New York Life Insurance Company from 1930 to 1934.[7]

Judge Learned Hand once observed that Charles Evans Hughes Sr. was the greatest lawyer he had ever known, "except that his son was even greater."[2]

## Personal life

[edit]

On June 18, 1914, Hughes was married to Marjory Bruce Stuart in the little Chapel of St. Saviour, in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights, Manhattan.[8] Marjory, then a senior at Vassar College (her roommate was the groom's sister, Helen Hughes), was a daughter of Henry Clarence Stuart.[9] Together, they were the parents of two sons and two daughters:

* Charles Evans Hughes III (1915–1985), an architect.[10][11]
* H. Stuart Hughes (1916–1999), a noted historian and activist
* Helen Hughes, who was named after Hughes's sister Helen Hughes, who died at age 28 in 1920.[12]
* Marjory Bruce Hughes (1929–2014),[13] who married William Lee Johnson in 1952,[14] the former general counsel of Otis Elevator Company.[15][16]

He died of a brain tumor on January 21, 1950, and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Bronx, New York.[1]

## References

[edit]

* Biography portal

1. ^ a b c "Charles Evans Hughes Jr" (PDF). The New York Times. 24 January 1950. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
2. ^ a b c Warren, Earl (Winter 1965). "Comments on the Dedication of the Charles Evans Hughes Residence Center". Cornell Law Review. 50 (2). S2CID 153207205.
3. ^ "HEADS WILLKIE FUND; Charles E. Hughes Jr. Named President of Memorial Group" (PDF). The New York Times. 12 December 1944. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
4. ^ Times, Special to The New York (8 May 1929). "SUBMITS HUGHES'S NAME.; Hoover Sends Appointment of Solicitor General to Senate" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
5. ^ "42D ST. 'L' SPUR CASE ARGUED IN HIGH COURT; Charles E. Hughes Jr. Appears for Companies and Father Withdraws" (PDF). The New York Times. 3 April 1935. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
6. ^ "COUNTY LAWYERS NAME COMMITTEES; Charles E. Hughes Jr., Head of Association, Announces the Assignments for Year" (PDF). The New York Times. 13 August 1937. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
7. ^ Jost, Kenneth (1993). The Supreme Court A to Z. CQ Press. p. 428\. ISBN 9781608717446.
8. ^ The New York Times Index. New York Times Company. 1914. p. 197. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
9. ^ "CHAS. E. HUGHES, JR., WEDS MISS STUART; Justice's' Son's Bride the First of This Year's Seniors at Vassar to Marry. CLASSMATES BRIDESMAIDS Ceremony in Cathedral of St. Jol n the Divine Attended by 100 Only -- Musical Programme" (PDF). The New York Times. 18 June 1914. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
10. ^ "Charles Evans Hughes 3d Weds Mrs. Kimherly Wiss" (PDF). The New York Times. 20 December 1964. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
11. ^ Goldberger, Paul. "CHARLES E. HUGHES 3D DEAD; LEADER IN BANK ARCHITECTURE", The New York Times, January 10, 1985. Accessed May 4, 2008. "Mr. Hughes, who lived in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, was the grandson of Charles Evans Hughes, the former Chief Justice of the United States."
12. ^ "Women in Hughes' life". Glen Falls Post-Star. April 21, 2009. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
13. ^ "Marjory Hughes Johnson". The Journal News. May 6, 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
14. ^ Mendez, Ruben P. (2008). A History of the Riverdale Yacht Club. Xlibris Corporation. p. 89\. ISBN 978-1-4691-1448-4. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
15. ^ "Marjory S. Johnson to Marry". The New York Times. 16 September 1984. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
16. ^ "Memorial William L. Johnson '50". Princeton Alumni Weekly. Princeton Alumni Weekly. July 7, 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2019.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charles Evans Hughes Jr..

* Biography at USDOJ
* Charles Evans Hughes Jr. at Find a Grave

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