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RG 001 Governor Louis C. Hughes1892-1896

RG 001 SG 02

Biographical Note

Louis Cameron Hughes was born in Philadelphia on May 15, 1842 to Samuel and Elizabeth Hughes. He was the second to youngest of ten children. His parents died while he was young and Hughes spent some time in an orphanage before he was indentured to a "Calvinist farmer". After completing his indenture at the age of fifteen, Hughes attended public school until the Civil War started. Hughes served in the Union Army for two years and then returned to his schooling, which he funded by working as a machinist. In July 1868 he married E. Josephine Brawley of Meadville, Pennsylvania. The couple migrated to Tucson in 1871 for Louis' health and started a law office.

Hughes would serve in a variety of public offices while in Tucson and started the Daily Bulletin newspaper in 1877. The Daily Bulletin later became the Arizona Star and the Hughes' sold it in 1907. President Grover Cleveland appointed Hughes Territorial Governor in 1893. During his tenure, Hughes advocated stronger drinking laws, promoted women's suffrage, established the Board of Control to oversee public institutions and promoted expanding the education system for Indians. In April 1896, President Cleveland replaced Hughes with Benjamin Joseph Franklin as Governor after Hughes disagreed with him on Cleveland's public land policies.

After leaving office, Hughes returned to running the Arizona Star and served on the University of Arizona Board of Regents. Hughes died in Tucson on November 24, 1915. Josephine Brawley Hughes worked with her husband in operating the newspaper and assisted while he served as Governor. Governor George W. P. Hunt called her the "Mother of Arizona". Josephine Brawley Hughes died in California in 1926.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of Governor Louis Cameron Hughes' correspondence while serving as Territorial Governor and his civil war discharge certificate. Some of the letters are bound copies.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

All photocopies of original materials are made by staff. We reserve the right to refuse copy services based on physical condition and possible damage to the materials.

For preservation purposes, if microfilm copies are available, patrons will use the microfilm first.

Under Arizona Revised Statute 39-141, public records used for commercial purposes have additional requirements. Please contact the Arizona State Archives for further information.

Copyright

It is the researcher’s responsibility to determine the copyright status of materials he or she uses. The Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records is not legally or financially responsible for any copyright infringement by researchers.

Many documents held by the Arizona State Archives fall under the Public Record law (ARS 41-1350). Documents created by the government are not copyrighted. The United States of America Copyright Law (P.L. 94-553, effective Jan. 1, 1978) extends statutory rights of authority to unpublished works which were previously protected by literary property rights under common law. Such works do not have to be registered with the Copyright Office to receive protection under the law.

Related Material

There are two volumes of correspondence from Governors Murphy and Hughes. Please see RG 001 SG 1.5 Governor Nathan O. Murphy for these volumes. Researchers should also review RG 006 Secretary of the Territory for additional records from Hughes' tenure.

Administrative Information

Credit Line

Bibliographic citations must cite the title of the record group(s), subgroup(s), the box number, the Archives and Records Management Division and the name of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records in full.

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