Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-07
HUGHES WON LAURELS
He Has Been a Hard Worker
From Youth.
ENERGETIC AND EARNEST
From College Professorship to En-
viable Position at the Bar.
A MAN OF LOFTY CHARACTER
Growing Achievement Of His Legal
Career Prosecution Of In
surance Frauds.
ENERGETIC AND EARNEST
A MAN OF LOFTY CHARACTER

Charles E. Hughes is descended of long
line of Christian people In his stock are
interminged Welsh Irish. Dutch and Scotch
blood. with a dash of German. He was
born in 1862, in Glens Falls. N. T., the son
of Baptist minister, who was native of
Wales, and Scotch-Irish mother. From
the hour of his birth his parents never had
any thought but that he would be trained
for the ministry. The boy was ten years
old when he decided that he would be
teacher and not a preacher. And his father
did not oppose the sons desire. For, even
at that age, the boy showed strongly the
traits of mental concentration and devotion
to purpose which have SO well served his
needs in politics and law in his later life.
When he was still quite young the family
moved to Newark. N. j., where the lad en-
tered the public schools. He made no repu-
| tation as precocious pupil. but his teachers
knew him as a studious, earnest orderly
youth who never let go of task until he
had thoroughly mastered 1t. He graduated
| in 1873 with the rest of his class. Soon
thereafter the Hughes family moved to this
| city, and young Hughes was entered In the
public schools here.
He was fortunate enough to join the
| classes in public school No. 49, which was
| celebrated in those days and in which many
men now eminent in various professions OBJ
tanned their elementary education. Charles
obtained a certificate of graduation from
'Old No. So in the fall of 1875, when he
was thirteen years old.
Fine School Record.
His career in the school had been rather
| remarkable. Added to his ability to grasp
the elementary subjects which formed the
curriculum of the school the lad was much
given to the writing of ponderous essays,
= of xx,l,ic oh,
seem to be far beyond the capacity Of
boy of his age. One of his most notable es-
says had for its subject THE Limitation of
the Human Mind" Another was ''The Evils
of Light Literature" At his commencement
he read an essay SELF Help from the
stage of the Academy of Music. He was the
salutatorian Of his class. His Grafton was
regarded as remarkable piece of work for
a thirteen year-Old boy. 1t was strong,
virile and masterful.
The lads plan of entering the city college
that year had to be revised. as he lacked
one year of the necessary age. For twelve
months he was tutored by his father, and
then concluded to enter Madison Univer-
sity, which is now Colgate University. He
remained In this institution until 1878. Then
he decided the curriculum of Brown Univer-
sity would suit him better.
Took Prize at College.
At the end Of his Junior year at Brown,
Hughes took the Dunn premium for the
highest standing in English literature. In
his senior year he won the Carpenter pre-
| MUM for general attainments. He had the
classical grafton on commencement day,
when he was graduated, in 1881.
When he entered Brown he had passed
simply for admission and not for rank.
During his Junior year Prof. Lincoln told
him that he had made great mistake and
that he should have passed for rank. Spur
REQ on by this compliment Hughes exerted
himself still further and he was one Of the
five Phi Beta Kappa men of his year. Even
at that age he had developed a remarkable
mental focus. He graduated from Brown
with honors. The ink was not dry on his
diploma before he had secured a professor
ship in Delaware Academy at Delhi, N. Y.
Having proved his ability to manage a
roomful of obstreperous young men, many
of them larger and older than himself.
young Mr.. Hughes came back to New York
whence he graduated in 1854 and was i'm
mediately admitted to the bar. For a while
he was clerk in the office of Gen. Stewart
L. Woodford Later he became clerk in
the law office of Chamberlain, Carter &
Hornblower, in which. few years later,
he was to become full fedged partner
His Marriage to Miss Carter.
His natural inclination toward teaching
often led him to accept tutorships. Teach
ing and the practice of law took up his time
uptil 1891. Three years previous to this he
had married the daughter of William s.
Carter. a member of the firm. His labors
had somewhat undermined his health, al
though he would never admit to his friends
that he was i'll. At length. fearing a break
down If he stuck to the law, he opened
negotiations with Cornell College, and much
to the chagrin of his father-in-iaw Mr..
Hughes left active practice. and for two
years occupied chair at Cornell.
Returning to New York city in 1893 Mr..
Hughes again took up the active practice of
his profession. Very soon he was sent to
Oregon. representing the bondholders OF a
broker down railroad, and worked there for
several months Strengthening out It's affairs.
On his return he was the court member
of the new law firm of Carter, Hughes &
Dwight. When Edward F. Dwight died two
years ago the firm title was Carter Hughes
Rounds & Schurman. The recent death of
Mr.. Carter changed the FIRMS name to
at No. 96 Broadway.
Insurance Work Won Him Fame.
He was a member Of the firm when he
took the place special examiner for the
Armstrong committee, which made him
famous and which is familiar to every
last year. 1t was largely because Of the
magnificent reputation he made In the in
surance investigation that the republican
nomination for governor came to him I'M
solicited at Buffalo In September. He had
never held office or run for Office until that
time
Before becoming examiner of the Arm
strong committee Mr.. Hughes had acted as
special counsel of the gas investigating
committee of the legislature. 1t was in
zt,A Is 1,,k A.