Robert M. Hughes
Encyclopedia
Robert Morton Hughes was a Virginia lawyer who served as a president of The Virginia Bar Association
and helped establish what became Old Dominion University
in Norfolk, Virginia
.
and Sally Preston Floyd at Abingdon, Virginia
. Through his parents, Judge Robert W. Hughes
and Eliza Johnston Hughes, he was related to many of Western Virginia's prominent families. Hughes spent most of his early life in Abingdon.
in 1870 at the age of 15 and graduated with an A. B. degree in 1873. His association with William and Mary continued for the rest of his life. Hughes was president of the Alumni Association for 1892-93, and served on the college's Board of Visitors from 1893 to 1918 and was rector from 1905 to 1918. In 1920 the College awarded him an honorary doctor of laws degree. In 1933, Hughes was the commencement speaker. Washington & Lee University gave him an honorary doctorate of laws degree in 1926. Hughes was a member of the Virginia State Board of Education
from 1930-1935. For his part in establishing what became Old Dominion University
, in 1959, the Robert M. Hughes Memorial Library
was named for him.
in 1895. He was chairman of the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners from 1910-1923.
in general and Roosevelt's attacks on the Supreme Court in particular.
, his maternal great uncle. Johnston asked Hughes to write his official biography. In the dedication to Hughes's volume on Johnston, he wrote: "I take pride in dedicating to the Army of Tennessee, as a tribute to its constancy and valor, this sketch of the Great Captain, who led it in its palmy days, and with whose renown it is inseparably associated."
Virginia Bar Association
The Virginia Bar Association is a voluntary organization of lawyers in Virginia, with offices in Richmond, Virginia.- VBA Mission : is the independent voice of the Virginia lawyer, advancing the highest ideals of the profession through advocacy and volunteer service.- History :The VBA, , was...
and helped establish what became Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
.
Family
Hughes was born in the house of his mother's adoptive parents, Gov. John B. FloydJohn B. Floyd
John Buchanan Floyd was the 31st Governor of Virginia, U.S. Secretary of War, and the Confederate general in the American Civil War who lost the crucial Battle of Fort Donelson.-Early life:...
and Sally Preston Floyd at Abingdon, Virginia
Abingdon, Virginia
Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, USA, 133 miles southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County and is a designated Virginia Historic Landmark...
. Through his parents, Judge Robert W. Hughes
Robert William Hughes
Robert William Hughes was a Virginia newspaperman, lawyer, and federal judge.-Family and early life:Born at Muddy Creek Plantation in Powhatan County, Virginia, Hughes was of an old Virginia family, whose ancestors came to the area of Powhatan County before 1700, when it was still Goochland...
and Eliza Johnston Hughes, he was related to many of Western Virginia's prominent families. Hughes spent most of his early life in Abingdon.
Education
Hughes entered the College of William and MaryCollege of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
in 1870 at the age of 15 and graduated with an A. B. degree in 1873. His association with William and Mary continued for the rest of his life. Hughes was president of the Alumni Association for 1892-93, and served on the college's Board of Visitors from 1893 to 1918 and was rector from 1905 to 1918. In 1920 the College awarded him an honorary doctor of laws degree. In 1933, Hughes was the commencement speaker. Washington & Lee University gave him an honorary doctorate of laws degree in 1926. Hughes was a member of the Virginia State Board of Education
Virginia State Board of Education
The Virginia State Board of Education is an independent board established by the state of Virginia in the United States which helps set state elementary and secondary educational policy, advocates within state government for elementary and secondary education, administers some state educational...
from 1930-1935. For his part in establishing what became Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
, in 1959, the Robert M. Hughes Memorial Library
Robert M. Hughes Memorial Library
Hughes Hall, the former Robert M. Hughes Memorial Library, is a notable building on the Old Dominion University campus in Norfolk, Virginia designed by Edward Durell Stone in 1959. When the building was dedicated, it was the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary. In the book...
was named for him.
Law
Hughes also attended the University of Virginia Law School and earned a degree in 1877. After being admitted to the bar this same year, Hughes set up practice in Norfolk, Virginia, where he would continue to work until his retirement in 1920. His specialty was admiralty law. Hughes was elected president of the Virginia Bar AssociationVirginia Bar Association
The Virginia Bar Association is a voluntary organization of lawyers in Virginia, with offices in Richmond, Virginia.- VBA Mission : is the independent voice of the Virginia lawyer, advancing the highest ideals of the profession through advocacy and volunteer service.- History :The VBA, , was...
in 1895. He was chairman of the Virginia Board of Bar Examiners from 1910-1923.
Politics
Hughes was a lifelong Republican, following the lead of his father, but at the wrong moment in Virginia history. An unsuccessful Republican candidate for congress in 1902 and 1904, Hughes also failed in several attempts to be appointed to federal judgeships, beginning in 1897 when he sought to succeed his father as a judge in the district court at Norfolk. Hughes was a staunch conservative and the last years of his life found him ardently opposing the New DealNew Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
in general and Roosevelt's attacks on the Supreme Court in particular.
Historian
Hughes's main interest outside the law was Virginia history and, in particular, the roles played by members of his own family. He felt particularly duty bound to defend the reputations of two close relatives: Gov. Floyd, his adoptive maternal grandfather, and Gen. Joseph E. JohnstonJoseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
, his maternal great uncle. Johnston asked Hughes to write his official biography. In the dedication to Hughes's volume on Johnston, he wrote: "I take pride in dedicating to the Army of Tennessee, as a tribute to its constancy and valor, this sketch of the Great Captain, who led it in its palmy days, and with whose renown it is inseparably associated."