Fergus County Democrat., 1916-06-22
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE
REPUBLICAN STANDARD BEARER

Charles Evans Hughes was born in
Glens Falls, N. y, April II, 1862, max
ing him four years younger than ey
President Roosevelt and six years
younger than President Wilson.
His father was a Baptist minister
and his mother was a deyout woman,
who shaped bis early education with
the idea of preparing him for the min
istry. He was graduated from Brown
university in 1851, one Of the five Phi
Beta Kappa honor men Of his year.
Finally he attended the Columbia uni
versity law school. holding the prize
fellowship from 1884 to 1857.
The public first heard OF Mr.. Hughes
in 1905 and 1906. 1t was in those
years that he served, first as counsel
of the Stevens legislative committee
investigating the gas companies of
New York, and then as a counsel for
the Armstrong legislative committee
for the investigation of insurance bus
mess in New York. In the insurance
investigation he unearthed nation
wide scandals and the whole country
followed the dramatic story which he
revealed
Before his investigation was half
finished, however republican leaders
seized upon the record which he made
to carry their party to victory.
The New York City republican con
vention nominated Linn for mayor but
he declined because he had nit fin
ished the insurance investigation The
next year Hearst was nominated fol
governor by the democrats and the
independent league Hughes was Sc
lected by the republicans as the man
to defeat the fusion candidate and h.,
was elected, the only republican on
the state ticket who was not defeated
at the election.
Throughout his administration AZ
governor he was at logger heads will
the republican organization.
He first urged the passage Of til,
public service commission law, telling
sion paid by the railroads and will
only advisory powers was inadequate
Little attention was paid to the pro
posed measure by the legislature am
Governor Hughes took the question
to the people He stumped the stat
for his bill and finally the Legislature
responded.
Hardly had the bill become Law
before the legislature passed "a two
cent passenger fare measure Gov
ernor Hughes vetoei It on the groun'
that a legislature should not deal arb
trarily with matters requiring invest
cation, particularly when it had jus
provided machinery for investigating
such matters and had granted Dowe
to relieve a situation as justice an,
reason might demand. He also sue
ceeded in having a measure agains
race track betting enacted resultin
in the closing of important tracks il
J New York.
With the record of his first teri
behind him, Governor Hughes wa
considered prominently for the reput
lcan presidential nomination in 1905
President Roosevelt threw his powe
in favor of his secretary of war, vii
lam H. Taft, and Governor Hughe.
instead was renominated for governo
and reelected 1t was during his Sc,
. ond term in 1910 that President Tai
appointed him to the supreme cour
bench.
AS a member of the court his dept
| of comprehension and his faculty fo
| concise statement led to his selectio
by the chief justice in even the frs
years of his service, to write the ms
| jority of the most important decision
rendered by the court. Among thes
| were the so-called state rate case.
| the pure food law decision and tn
/ Virginia and West Virginia debt cast
|
Mrs. Manley Nicholson OF Chilli