Dudley Mays Hughes (October 10, 1848 – January 20, 1927) was an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, farmer and railroad executive. Hughes was born in Jeffersonville,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and attended the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. In 1882, Hughes was elected to the

Georgia Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The Georgia State Senate and the lower house of the General Assembly, the Georgia House of Representatives, comprise the bicameral leg ...

and reelected the next year. From 1904 to 1906, he served as the president of the Georgia State Agricultural Society. In 1905, he became a UGA trustee and remained on that board until his death. He also served on the board of trustees for the Danville School, the Georgia State Normal Institute and the Georgia State Agricultural College. Hughes was involved in several business including Magnolia Orchard and the Georgia Fruit Land Company. He served as president of the Georgia Fruit Growers Association. After serving as one of the original founders of the Macon, Dublin & Savannah Railroad chartered in 1885, Hughes served as its president until 1891 and as a director. In 1906, Hughes ran as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

against incumbent Elijah B. Lewis in

Georgia's 3rd congressional district Georgia's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Georgia. The district is currently represented by Republican Brian Jack. The district's boundaries have been redrawn following the 2010 census, which grant ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

and lost. In 1908, Hughes ran against Lewis again and won. He served four consecutive terms in office; however, the

Georgia General Assembly The Georgia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is bicameral, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each of the General Assembly's 236 members serve two-year terms and are directl ...

reapportioned the congressional districts in 1912, and Hughes district became Georgia's 12th congressional district. Hughes lost his bid for reelection in 1916. He returned to farming in

Danville, Georgia Danville is a town in Twiggs and Wilkinson counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 238 at the 2010 census, down from 373 in 2000. The Twiggs County portion of Danville is part of the Macon metropolitan statistical area. His ...

, and died in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

, in 1927. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in

Perry, Georgia Perry is a city in Houston County, Georgia, Houston and Peach County, Georgia, Peach counties in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat of Houston County. The population was 13,839 at the 2010 census, up from 9,60 ...

. Dudley Hughes is the namesake to the city of

Dudley, Georgia Dudley is a city in Laurens County, Georgia, United States. The population was 593 in 2020. History Dudley had its start in 1891 when the railroad was extended to that point. The city was named for Senator Dudley Mays Hughes. Geography Dud ...

Notes

References

Dudley Mays Hughes Collection, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia''History of the University of Georgia'', Thomas Walter Reed, Imprint: Athens, Georgia : University of Georgia, ca. 1949, p.925

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Dudley Mays 1848 births 1927 deaths People from Jeffersonville, Georgia American people of Welsh descent Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators University of Georgia alumni 19th-century American railroad executives 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly