Richard Hughes

Richard Hughes is a character in Saints Row.
==Biography==
===Saints Row===
Richard Hughes is an and a corrupt mayoral candidate in Stilwater, he is also the final antagonist of Saints Row. Hughes is Marshall Winslow's chief political rival, as both men are currently engaged in a fierce mayoral election campaign. To gain an edge and hopefully the vote, Hughes devises a plan to redevelop Saint's Row district. The plan is soon met with critical response from the people of Stilwater with many worried about displacing the Row's inhabitants along with its homeless population. Knowing that his plan still won't be enough to win him the election, Hughes turns his sights to the gang activity in Stilwater. Based on what he sees, he decides to cheat his way into office by resorting to more extreme methods, such as bribing Chief Monroe to his cause.
During the Saints efforts against the Vice Kings, Johnny Gat has Playa destroy a statue of Hughes named The Pride of Stilwater.
After the Saints came out on top on the gang wars, Hughes has Monroe arrest Saints leader Julius Little, leaving Playa in charge of the Saints. While the election seems to be in Winslow's favor, Richard has Monroe strong arm Playa into killing Winslow, as a result Hughes is handed the election.
The Saints decide they had enough of Monroe, so Playa and Dex assassinate him in a massacre during Winslow's funeral, along with a large number of the Stilwater Police Department.
Hughes calls Playa and invites him to his yacht claiming he wants to make peace and that Julius will be there so that they can reach an agreement.
====Epilogue====
On Hughes' yacht, he first greets Playa thanking him for killing Winslow and compliments him for killing Monroe to keep suspicions off of him. Hughes finally reveals his motives to Playa. He tells him that The Saints are now his scapegoats, so Hughes now has government backing for the plan to be given a go, telling Playa that he was going to "level your community and salt the earth." Just as the confrontation comes to a close, Hughes prepares to order his men to kill Playa but a bomb detonates on the yacht.
In Saints Row 2, it is revealed that Hughes was killed in the explosion, Playa was put into a coma, and that Julius was the one who set the bomb.
===Saints Row 2===
Sometime in the next several years, the Ultor Corporation establishes a branch in Stilwater and takes over Hughes' urban renewal plan, using the gang violence in Saint's Row to push it forward. Saint's Row is leveled and completely rebuilt, and a statue of Hughes was built on a small island near the Phillips Building.
During this same period, Hughes' widow, Monica, successfully runs for Mayor, no doubt due to the death of her husband.
===Saints Row: The Third===
During the events of Saints Row: The Third, Monica Hughes is now a U.S. Senator, and is dedicating a new Hughes Memorial Bridge in Stilwater as a tribute to her husband. However, the ceremony is cut short by the gang war between the Luchadores and the 3rd Street Saints, and the attributing violence ultimately results in the bridge's destruction. The loss of the bridge infuriates Senator Hughes, motivating her into using her political influence to create STAG.
===Saints Row IV===
In the final of Tanya Winters' three Audio Logs, it's suggested she had an affair with Richard Hughes, as she says she had him wrapped around her finger along with Warren Williams and Anthony Green, both men she slept with. She jokes about Richard's death.
==The Pride of Stilwater==
The Pride of Stilwater is a statue that appears in Saints Row. The sculpture depicts Richard Hughes carrying the Earth on his back. It was donated by Citizens for Hughes, and Hughes himself once immodestly described it as "a visual representation not only of the superb talents of Stilwater artisans, but a constant reminder that great men often have to shoulder considerable burden." It is destroyed by Playa, who crashes a Bulldozer into it at Johnny Gat's request.
Upon its destruction, both Hughes and Marshall Winslow create radio advertisements remarking on the statue. Winslow states that while it "wasn't the most popular sculpture on display in [Stilwater]", he ensures that the statue will be replaced with a sculpture that is more representative of the people of the city. Hughes, on the other hand, is more livid over its destruction, noting that "Mayor Winslow's hollow response [...] is simply unacceptable", and that "Its desecration should merit full investigation". Hughes ends by responding directly to those responsible, saying that if they're listening right now, "you can smash brick and mortar, you can break brass and steel, but the spirits of the people of Stilwater cannot be crushed."
Its design is likely a reference to of , a Titan who was forced by Zeus to carry the Greek god Uranus (as the sky) on his shoulders, away from the Earth, after being defeated. It is commonly misinterpreted today that Atlas had to carry the Earth on his shoulders, and the statue depicts Hughes in this style.
==Hughes Memorial Bridge==
The Hughes Memorial Bridge is a Stilwater landmark that appears in Saints Row: The Third. Created under his wife Monica Hughes, who is at this point a Senator, she describes it as "[her] greatest privilege to honor [her husband] with this bridge".
It appears prominently in the mission "Return to Steelport", where the 3rd Street Saints are ambushed by Killbane and his Luchadores during Johnny Gat's , as it crosses the bridge during the bridge's official opening. The Saints avoid a bombardment of RPGs which destroy the bridge and almost kill them, prompting them to travel back to the city of Steelport to stop The Syndicate. Furthermore, it fuels Monica's desire to later authorize STAG in a bid to continue her husband's cause in ending gang activity.
In the mission "Live! With Killbane", Killbane doctors footage of Pierce, Shaundi, and Playa dancing in front of the remains of the bridge and shows it during an interview with Jane Valderamma, framing them for its destruction. During the same interview, he also lambastes the Saints as criminals, and Shaundi and Playa ponder whether or not their PR department or Ultor will be able handle it. In the final Deckers mission "", Matt Miller promises to "prove that [they] didn't destroy that bridge" in exchange for his life.
==Campaign advertisements==
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==Trivia==
*Despite being mentioned throughout Saints Row, he is not physically seen until the very last mission.
*The name of the Hughes' yacht is "Hughes' Mistake".
*In Saints Row 2, Monica Hughes (then the mayor of Stilwater) hires Playa to devalue, damage, or destroy as much property belonging to the Ultor Corporation as they possibly can. Mrs. Hughes explains that the reason for it is that after the death of her husband Richard, Ultor stole most of his work and legacy by taking all the credit for the redevelopment of Saint's Row, and now she wanted revenge.
*According to an Audio Log from Saints Row IV, it's implied that Hughes had an affair with Tanya Winters.
*According to one of the radio ads, it's hinted that Hughes may be a Republican.
*Despite his short appearance, Richard's death has had a major influence on the Saints Row series.
**His death, and Playa's coma, paved the way for his widow to become Mayor and for Ultor to redevelop the Saint's Row district.
**Ultor's rise helped the 3rd Street Saints become celebrities in Saints Row: The Third.
**The destruction of his memorial bridge led to now-Senator Monica Hughes sending STAG into Steelport to wipe out the gangs.
**STAG fighting the Saints leads to Cyrus Temple launching a nuclear missile, and to Playa becoming President.
==Gallery==
 
Hughes, Richard