The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-11-10
HUGHES IN HIS HOME
Charming Family Life Of a
Potential President.
DEVOTED TO HIS CHILDREN
Camps Out I'm Summer with His Son
and Makes Chums of His DnuEh-
ters-HIs Home Handsome, but In
pretentiouS-Chief Diversion "A Me-
chanicaI PinnO Player.

It's girl"
Good. exclaimed the tan, spare man
with the bushy whiskers, who was wait
ing outside the chamber door.
Everything all right?" he asked Just as
a lawyer might quiz witness.
Couldn't be better" was the reply
And then-so writes Reginald Foster. in
the Cleveland Plain Dealer-Charles
Evans Hughes. governor ot the State Of
New York and something Of a Preslden-
tIal possibility chuckled heartily. wrung
tire nurses hand. hurried down stairs,
lighted a fine big Havana cigar and call
ed for the cook 10 bring him ham and
eggs. coffee. rolls. and French fried po-
tatoes.
"I'H be needed over at the capitol"
he remarked. "even if am a proud papa"
Thus was born the fourth child of Gov.
Hughes-she has been named Elizabeth
because il is a favorite name OF her
mothers. the governors wife. She is the
first child to be born in the executive
mansion at Albany.
OF course. the formal bulletins were
issued for the benefit of those loyal cit,-
zens who wish 70 know.
Mother and child are doing well.
were the stereotyped words OF the ply
stefan in attendance.
But "She weighs eight pounds from
the governor himself, told the story
better
And there he was that very morning.
over in the governors Office at the capi-
tol. attending 10 the business Of tho
people who sent him thege. just as II
nothing had happened
Not His First Appearance.
Now II this had been Gov. Hughes
debut rs a father. one might have ex-
pected the quiet elevation with which he
! greeted his visitors on that eventful day
August 70, when the youngest Miss Hughes
first saw the light.
/ But this makes the chief executive OF
1 the Empire state father for the fourth
/ time. He has son, eighteen years old,
who is a Junior at Brown University.
| Providence, r. J.. and is named for his
/ father Then there is Miss Helen Hughes
! who is sixteen years Old and little Miss
/ Katherine who has just turned nine
years. Baby Miss Hughes completes the
| governors quartet of hostages TO for
I tune.
/ Gov. Hughes is no advocate OF race sui
/ cide. He loves children, and the four OF
I his OWN mean more 20 him than mere
lgovernorships or even the Presidency it,
/ self His family is all that ne lives for.
/ or course. to-day the Hughes home Is
/ IN the mansion at Albany which the State
( or New York provides for its governors
as they come and go. But the real home
[ ls modest ao-toot house in New York
/ City at $50 West End avenue II is there
that the best part Of the governors life
has been spent-the life OF the library
and living room, with his wife and young
sterS about him
Just a Real Home,
| Gov. Hughes is no clubman. His wife
! is no clubwoman. She has no papers to
read about bringing up children. She is
( too busy bringing up her own 20 have
( time to write down any theories about
other peoples children. Theirs is a real
home life. Their home is a real one. too
simplicity Is It's keynote
The drawing room is impressively plain.
There is some mahogany furniture. few
small vases on the manteI shelf dozen
pictures on the walls in grays and browns.
The upholstery is quiet. unobstrusive
green. On the floor Hes "a big rug Of
somber tint. and near the windows
through which you may catch glimpses
OF the sparse trees that line West End
avenue. is a grand piano It has one Of
those automatic players fixed 10 the key
board. And there was nothing the gov
ernor liked better in the older DAYS when
he was "a private person than 20 run the
piano playing machine himself when he
came home. tired after hard DAYS
work IN the courts or before some com
mission.
The whole home is unpretentious. BY
most lawyers Of the standing at the bar
which Gov. Hughes enjoys II would be
considered small. But Gov. Hughes is
not a rich man. He may be worth. alto
gether. 100000. He may not be The big
gest fee he ever received was SIS. 900. and
that was his pay as counsel for the lnsur-
anCe investigation II the real fact must
be knOwn Gov. Hughes. when he prac-
ticed at the bar-as he hopes 10 again
always consulted his client as to the
amount of the fee.
Likes Mechanical Music.
Hughes Is no musician. but he loves
music. He plays the piano by the
aid Of the mechanical device. and he
gets a lot of fun out Of It. too. 20
say nothing Of relaxation and mental re-
lief. Music. he says. rests him.
In the library one gets the best idea
of the man who in the space OF a single
year was made governor and Presidential
possibility II shows that the man who
uses it is the lawyer first and always. /
On the walls are pictures of Herbert /
Spencer, John Stuart Mil. Darwin. Hulk |
ley. Haeckel. and other men Of philosophy |
and science Few law books line the 1
shelves. Fiction and works on science and
philosophy take up most Of the space
The library is where Gov. Hughes 4
spends his time when he is at home in |
New York 1t is large. two Widowed |
front room an the second story. 1t Is /
banked with book cases. There Is a great
central desk. too. Uttered always with
letters, manuscripts. and kilograms /
Plain as IL is, Il was there that Mrs /
Hughes liked to sit with her husband /
before the people called him to Albany. /
And II is the same home life in Albany 1
now.
The big boy is a junior at college; ne 4
is only home for vacations But the two /
girls-beg pardon, it is three now-are 1
there all the time The Older two go to 1
School in Albany and have all the fun 4
that girls Of sixteen and nine can crowd |
into life And their father has fun with /
them. First of all Gov. Hughes is a
home man. He always enjoys the COM
partnership Of his children more than any
other thing. he seldom goes for even the /
simplest walk without at least one OF 1
them or Mrs Hughes When young Mr.
Hughes isn't at college he is with his
father about all the time. Gov. Hughes
U-O Rf 70