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Permanent LinkRepresentative John Hughes Jr. View All Years
JOHN HUGHES, JR., was born at Columbus, Ohio, October 25, 1841, and died at Long Beach, California, January 5, 1922. Interment was at Williamsburg, Iowa. He obtained a good education in the schools of Columbus and in 1857 accompanied his parents when they removed to Williamsburg, Iowa. He then taught school and on August 15, 1862, enlisted as fifth sergeant in Company G, Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry. He saw much hard service in the field, but in the latter part of the war was assigned to clerical duty in Washington, D. C. He was honorably discharged June 30, 1865. He then returned to Williamsburg and engaged in farming. The fall of 1868 he was elected county clerk of Iowa County and was re-elected in 1870, 1872, and 1874, serving eight years. He read law under J. H. Feenan, was admitted to the bar in 1875, and at the end of his service as county clerk became a member of the law firm of Feenan, Hughes & Kirk. In 1883 he withdrew from the firm and entered banking at Williamsburg, becoming cashier of Williamsburg Savings Bank. In 1888 he retired from banking and engaged in the lumber business, which he continued until he permanently retired in 1914, when he removed to Avoca, Iowa, and in 1918 to Long Beach, California. In 1897 he was elected representative and was re-elected in 1899 and 1901. He was in 1903 elected senator. His legislative service therefore was continuous from the Twenty-seventh General Assembly to the Thirty-second inclusive, six regular sessions, three as representative and three as senator, the last one being by virtue of the adoption of the biennial election amendment. He was known as the father of the Anti-pass Bill. He persistently and consistently advocated this measure, first against great opposition, but finally to complete success. He was a man of fine character and qualities.