James Frederic Hughes (August 7, 1883August 9, 1940) was an American salesman and Democratic politician from De Pere, Wisconsin. He served one term in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

, representing

Wisconsin's 8th congressional district Wisconsin's 8th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northeastern Wisconsin. It has been represented by Republican Tony Wied since November 12, 2024. It was previously vacant from ...

during the

73rd Congress The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...

(1933–1935). He retired after one term due to chronic illness.

Early life and career

James Hughes was born in

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

, in August 1883. He was raised and educated in Green Bay, graduating from

Green Bay West High School Green Bay West High School is a high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States, serving the city's west side. Originally founded in 1890 as the high school for the town of Fort Howard (annexed into Green Bay in 1895), the school opened as W ...

(then McCartney School) in 1901. He went to work for his father, who was a foundry and machine shop superintendent. After many years working with his father, in 1915 he was hired as a traveling salesman for a Detroit manufacturer of foundry supplies. This was his primary employment for much of the rest of his life.

Political career

Around that time, Hughes also settled in De Pere, Wisconsin. He became active in politics and civic affairs in De Pere. He served 12 years as a member of the public library board and served 18 years as a member of the school commission, from 1914 to 1937, during which time the Old Nicolet High School was approved and constructed. According to his obituary, Hughes was also an advocate for musical instruction in the schools, and attended many of the school musical performances and competitions. He was a member of the central committee of the

Democratic Party of Wisconsin The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public edu ...

from 1920 to 1924. He was elected as a delegate to the

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

and

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

Democratic National Conventions, and attended the

1932 Democratic National Convention The 1932 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois June 27 – July 2, 1932. The convention resulted in the nomination of Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York for president and Speaker of the House John N. Garner from ...

without official delegate status. 1931_WI_Cong_08

In June 1932, Hughes received the unanimous approval of

Democratic convention to serve as their nominee for

that year. Despite the convention's endorsement, Hughes still faced a

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

against state representative Jacob J. Blahnik and a third candidate, William Wright. Hughes won the primary and went on to face Republican incumbent

George J. Schneider George John Schneider (October 30, 1877 – March 12, 1939) was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin. Born in the town of Grand Chute, Wisconsin, Schneider moved to Appleton with his parents, and attended the public schools there. He learn ...

in the general election. Schneider had faced no opponent in 1930 and won his 1928 election with 60% of the vote. Hughes campaigned vigorously around the district in 1932, running on

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

proposals. In November, Hughes narrowly defeated Schneider, receiving 50.7% of the vote. Hughes served in the

(March 4, 1933January 3, 1935), during which he supported much of Roosevelt's agenda. He also obtained a $650,000 appropriation for a new federal building in Green Bay. In June 1934, Hughes again received the unanimous support of the 8th district Democratic convention, but Hughes surprised his constituents by declining to run for re-election. Separately, there was a hope among stalwart Republicans that Hughes would run for U.S. Senate against Progressive Party incumbent Robert M. La Follette Jr., and split the pro-Roosevelt vote, but Hughes also declined to run for Senate. Hughes explained that he suffered from a chronic illness and his physician had advised him to drop out of electoral politics for the good of his health.

Later years

Shortly after leaving office, Hughes was hospitalized and submitted to the amputation of his leg due to disease. He recovered from his surgery and was able to resume some of his civic duties through the late 1930s. Hughes became severely ill again in 1940, and was admitted to the

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

, in June of that year. After two months, he submitted to the amputation of his other leg, but his condition continued to decline. He died at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester on August 9, 1940. He was buried at Cady Cemetery, in the town of

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

, just outside of

Personal life and family

James F. Hughes was the third of six children born to James V. Hughes and his wife Emma ( Leicht). Both of Hughes parents died during the year of his campaign for Congress, 1932. The Hughes family were

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. James F. Hughes married Emma Louise Adams of De Pere in 1913. They had one child. Their son, James Adams Hughes, graduated from Nicolet High School and went on to become a lawyer. Like his father, he served on the West De Pere School Board and served in several other civic offices in De Pere. During , he served as a supply officer aboard the USS ''Neshanic'' in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

. After the war, he was in charge of dairy product procurement for

Safeway Safeway, Inc. is an American supermarket chain. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, delicatessen, floral and pharmacy, as well as Starbucks coffee shops, and veh ...

for much of the rest of his life. Aside from his political and civic interests, James F. Hughes was described as an ardent student of history.

Electoral history

U.S. House (1932)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", Democratic Primary, September 20, 1932 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1932

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, James Frederic 1883 births 1940 deaths Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin People from De Pere, Wisconsin School board members in Wisconsin American salespeople Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin 20th-century Wisconsin politicians Catholic politicians from Wisconsin 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives