Simon Pollard Hughes Jr.

Simon Pollard Hughes, Jr. (April 14, 1830 – June 29, 1906) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served as the 15th governor of Arkansas from 1885 to 1889. He previously served as an officer of the Confederate States Army in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War.

Simon Pollard Hughes Jr.
15th Governor of Arkansas
In office
January 17, 1885 – January 8, 1889
Preceded byJames Henderson Berry
Succeeded byJames Philip Eagle
Member of the
Arkansas House of Representatives
from Monroe County
In office
November 5, 1866 – April 2, 1868
Preceded byE. Wilds
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
BornApril 14, 1830
Smith County, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedJune 29, 1906(1906-06-29) (aged 76)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Resting placeMount Holly Cemetery,
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
34°44′15.3″N 92°16′42.5″W
Political partyWhig (before 1860)
Democratic (1860–1906)
Spouse
Ann E. Blakemore
​
(m. 1857)​
Children9
Alma materClinton College
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Confederate States
Branch/service Confederate States Army
Years of service1862–1865
Rank Lieutenant-Colonel
Unit23d Arkansas Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Early life and education

Simon Pollard Hughes, Jr. was born in Smith County, Tennessee, the son of Simon P. Hughes and Mary Hubbard Hughes. Hughes Sr., originally from Prince Edward County, Virginia, was a farmer, sheriff and a member of the Tennessee legislature from 1842–1843, Mary Hubbard was a native of Oglethorpe County, Georgia. In 1842, Mary Hughes died and the family moved to Bowie County, Texas. Hughes Sr. died in Texas in 1844, making Hughes at orphan at the age of fourteen.[1]

Hughes moved to Arkansas in December 1849, and was educated at Sylvan Academy and Clinton College in Tennessee.[2] In 1853, Hughes was elected sheriff of Monroe County, Arkansas and served for two years. Hughes was admitted to the bar in Arkansas in 1857, and started private practice in Clarendon, Arkansas. During the American Civil War, he was elected captain in the 23d Arkansas Infantry of the Confederate States Army rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Later in the war, following a reorganization of the 23d Arkansas, Hughes enlisted as a private in Charles L. Morgan's Independent Texas Cavalry unit.

Political career

Following the war, Hughes served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1866 to 1867, and was a delegate to the 1874 Arkansas constitutional convention. He was elected to the post of Arkansas Attorney General and served from 1874 to 1877. He was elected governor of Arkansas, being sworn-in, in January 1885. He was reelected in 1886.[3] During his terms, public executions were abolished in Arkansas and the sale of liquor was restricted. In 1889, he was elected to the Arkansas supreme court as an associate justice and served in that capacity for sixteen years.

Death

Hughes died in Little Rock, Arkansas, and is buried in historic Mount Holly Cemetery at Little Rock.

References
  1. Readnour, Harry (1995), Donovan, Timothy; Gatewood, Willard Jr.; Whayne, Jeannie (eds.), The Governors of Arkansas: Essays in Political Biography (Second ed.), Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press, pp. 83–89, ISBN 1-55728-331-1
  2. "Simon P. Hughes (1885-1889)". Ohio State House Museum. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  3. "Arkansas Governor Simon P. Hughes". National Governors Association. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
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