The Washington times., 1922-03-12
News of Miss Hughes
Engagement Causes
Surprise in Society
Will Be Married to C.
l.. Waddell, of New
York

THE Secretary OF State and
Mrs. hughes put something
over on most of their acquaint.
ances-and even on many of their
friends-when. in what newspaper.
men call zone Of the regular State
Department handouts they an.
'nounced the engagement Of their
daughter. Miss Catherine Hughes.
to Charles Lockhart Waddell. of
New York. 1t was a vdfy modest
little paragraph, along with a
grist of routine announcements,
differing from them only In being
marked unofficial indicate
that 1t did not have to do with
business of the Department of
State.
All Washington knows Catherine
Hughes--at once quite well, and
scarcely at all. She was school
girl when the Hugheses lived here
demonstrating the Cathedral
School for Girls. 1t will be remem-
bered that 1t was in an address at
the graduating exercises of that
school in 1915 that Justice Hughes
made 1t evident that he would ac-
cept the Presidential nomination If
the Republican convention. then
meeting in Chicago. offered it to
him. AS the most distinguished
father-and the most available
OF any member of the graduating
class, he had been asked to speak.
And he spoke-so that all the
world heard. Truly a notable
graduation for Miss Catherine.
She, however, was more thrilled
at the prospect of entering Welles-
ley, than at the possibility of call.
ing the White House home, sweet
home" for four years; very much
more interested In her chance OF
getting the particular dormitory
quarters THAI she wanted at Wei.
lesley, than she was in dreaming
of which room she would have at
1900 Pennsylvania avenue. More
over. it didn't happen that way, and
the Hughes family moved to New
York, and during the four years
that she was at Wellesley Wash
ington knew little of Catherine
Hughes. Last summer, when they
were back here. Miss Catherine
was travelling in Europe. with
friends, and it was not until rather
late this past fall that 1t has had
a chance to really make her &C.
quaintance.
So far as I know, she made no
formal debut, either here or in
New York, but she has taken her
place quietly by her mothers side
as assistant hostess in her fathers
house, and a most gracious and
attractive one. And she has been
regarded as of the debutante set,
along with Ailsa Mellon and Mary
Wallace-with perhaps more in
common with the latter since they
were both college girls Miss Wal
lace is Of vassar) recently. gradu-
ated.
HER engagement was entirely
surprise. Mr.. Waddell
seems to be quite unknown in
Washington. though I'm told that
he has doomed fairly large on her
horizon since she was In Welles-
ley. and he in Harvard-about the
same time. Wellesley, you know.
Is a suburb of Boston and Cam
bridge scarcely far enough from
the Common to be called even that
There was some wonder express
ed that Miss Hughes was content
to let her parents go to Bermuda
recently without her. Possibly Mr..
Waddell is the answer, since the
announcement Of the engagement
awaited only the return of Secre.
tary. and Mrs. Hughes. The Hard
ings were of course informed Of 1t
before they started South, and
offered their congratulations to
Miss Hughes. Possibly, though l
have not heard Of it, Mrs. Harding
sent Miss Hughes an autographed
photograph Of herself in uniform
as honorary chief of the Girl
Scouts-as l told you last week
she did to Helen Hopkins, on the
announcement Of her engagement.
For Catherine Hughes, like Helen
Hopkins, is captain Of a Girl Scout
troop. About the only entertain.
ing at the Hughes house during
the absence OF Secretary and Mrs.
Hughes was a party which Miss
Hughes gave for her Girl Scouts.
Washington does not seem to
know Mr.. Waddell at all. He is a
Harvard graduate, class of 1918,
and was in the air service during
the war, is the son of Mr.. and
Mrs. Edwin Waddell, Of Greenfield,
Ohio, and is connected with the
firm Of Dillon, Reid & Co, in New
York city. where he is at present
living.