Harry Roe Hughes (born November 13, 1926), a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 57
th Governor of MarylandThe Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Maryland and is commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The Governor is the highest ranking official in the state, and has a broad range of appointive powers in state and local government, as...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1979 to 1987.
Born in
Easton, MarylandEaston is a city in Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,708 at the 2000 census, and 14,677 according to current July 2008 census estimates. It is the county seat of Talbot County. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the secondary is 21606 The primary phone exchange is...
, Hughes attended
Caroline County, MarylandCaroline County is a wholly rural county located in the U.S. state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. It is bordered by Queen Anne's County to the north, Talbot County to the west, Dorchester County to the south, Kent County, Delaware, to the east, and Sussex County, Delaware, to the southeast. As...
, Public Schools before attending the
Mercersburg AcademyMercersburg Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school for grades 9-12 located in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The school's mission is:...
in
Mercersburg, PennsylvaniaMercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, 73 miles southwest of Harrisburg. Originally called Black Town, it was incorporated in 1831. In 1900, 956 people lived here, and in 1910, 1,410 people lived here...
. After school, Hughes served in the U.S. Navy Air Corps during the Second World War.
After the War, Hughes continued his education by attending
Mount Saint Mary's UniversityMount St. Mary's University is a private, liberal arts, Catholic university in the Catoctin Mountains near Emmitsburg, Maryland. It was founded by French émigré Father John DuBois in 1808 and is the oldest independent Catholic college in the United States...
and the
University of MarylandThe University of Maryland, College Park is a public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded in 1856, the University of Maryland is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland...
, where he graduated in 1949.
Harry Roe Hughes (born November 13, 1926), a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 57
th Governor of MarylandThe Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Maryland and is commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The Governor is the highest ranking official in the state, and has a broad range of appointive powers in state and local government, as...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1979 to 1987.
Early life and family
Born in
Easton, MarylandEaston is a city in Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,708 at the 2000 census, and 14,677 according to current July 2008 census estimates. It is the county seat of Talbot County. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the secondary is 21606 The primary phone exchange is...
, Hughes attended
Caroline County, MarylandCaroline County is a wholly rural county located in the U.S. state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. It is bordered by Queen Anne's County to the north, Talbot County to the west, Dorchester County to the south, Kent County, Delaware, to the east, and Sussex County, Delaware, to the southeast. As...
, Public Schools before attending the
Mercersburg AcademyMercersburg Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school for grades 9-12 located in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, United States. The school's mission is:...
in
Mercersburg, PennsylvaniaMercersburg is a borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, 73 miles southwest of Harrisburg. Originally called Black Town, it was incorporated in 1831. In 1900, 956 people lived here, and in 1910, 1,410 people lived here...
. After school, Hughes served in the U.S. Navy Air Corps during the Second World War.
After the War, Hughes continued his education by attending
Mount Saint Mary's UniversityMount St. Mary's University is a private, liberal arts, Catholic university in the Catoctin Mountains near Emmitsburg, Maryland. It was founded by French émigré Father John DuBois in 1808 and is the oldest independent Catholic college in the United States...
and the
University of MarylandThe University of Maryland, College Park is a public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. Founded in 1856, the University of Maryland is the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland...
, where he graduated in 1949. He received his law degree from
The George Washington University Law SchoolThe George Washington University Law School, commonly referred to as GW Law, is the law school of The George Washington University. It was founded in 1865 and is the oldest law school in Washington, D.C. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the...
in 1952 and was admitted to the Maryland
BarBar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:The bar is a dividing line in a courtroom...
the same year. Hughes has been married to his wife,
Patricia Donoho HughesPatricia Donoho Hughes is a former First Lady of Maryland, married to former Maryland Governor Harry Hughes. She was educated at Sorbonne and Bryn Mawr College before getting married on June 30, 1951, and continued her education at the University of Delaware . Mrs. Hughes was a teacher...
, since June 30, 1951. They have two daughters, Ann and Elizabeth.
Prior to his election as governor, Hughes was an attorney and one-time professional
baseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
player in the
Eastern Shore Baseball LeagueThe Eastern Shore Baseball League was a Class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were not consecutive, and featured teams from Maryland,...
. From 1966–1970, Hughes was the chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee.
Political career
Hughes began his political career as a member of the
Maryland House of DelegatesThe Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...
from 1955–1959, representing Caroline County. He was elected a member of the Maryland Senate in 1959 for district 15, representing Caroline,
CecilCecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of the Delaware Valley. It was named for Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore , who was the first Proprietary Governor of the colony of Maryland from 1632 until his death in 1675. The county seat is Elkton. The newspaper...
,
KentKent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, on its Eastern Shore. It was named for the county of Kent in England. Its county seat is Chestertown. In 2000, the county population was 19,197...
,
Queen Anne'sQueen Anne's County is a county located on the Eastern Shore of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2000, the population was 40,563. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville is the county's most populous place...
and
TalbotTalbot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is bordered by Queen Anne's County to the north, Caroline County to the east, Dorchester County to the south, and the Chesapeake Bay to the west. As of 2000, the population was 33,812...
Counties. In 1971, Hughes was offered and accepted the position of
Secretary of TransportationThe Maryland Department of Transportation is a government agency in the U.S. state of Maryland. MDOT is overseen by Transportation Secretary Beverley K. Swaim-Staley, who replaced John Porcari in 2009 upon the latter's appointment to the Federal Highway Administration...
for the state. In 1978, however, Hughes resigned from his position because of a disagreement in the State Department of Transportation regarding the construction of a subway in Baltimore City.
Rural voters criticize his tenure in the legislature for casting a deciding vote that ended the practice of allowing for at least one state senator or delegate per county. As of 2008, no General Assembly Member has been elected from Hughes' native Caroline County for thirteen consecutive years.
Hughes was elected governor in 1978 after defeating Acting Governor
Blair Lee IIIBlair Lee, III was an American Democratic politician. He served as the Secretary of State of Maryland from 1969 to 1971, and was the acting Governor of Maryland from 1977 to 1979, in place of Marvin Mandel....
. Among other things, Hughes was a strong advocate for the
Chesapeake BayThe Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's watershed covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia...
. He signed into law such legislation as the Chesapeake Bay Agreement, which set into motion efforts to protect the Bay from pollution and excessive hunting.
Also during his administration, Maryland foreign trade with
ChinaChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
was initiated. The
Savings and Loan crisisThe savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s was the failure of 745 savings and loan associations . A Savings and Loan is a financial institution in the United States that accepts savings deposits and makes mortgage, car and other personal loans to individual members...
, involving the failure of many savings and loan organizations across the United States hit Maryland near the end Hughes' tenure, but nevertheless steps were taken to insure Maryland savings and loans organizations. Hughes served two terms and concluded his governorship in 1987.
Post-governor career
Following his tenure as governor, he was a member of the Chesapeake Bay Trust from 1995–2003; a member of the Board of Regents of the
University System of MarylandThe University System of Maryland is a public corporation and charter school system comprising 13 Maryland institutions of higher education. It is the 12th-largest university system in the United States, with over 100,000 undergraduate, 30,000 graduate and 8,700 faculty...
from 1996–2000; the chairman of the Blue Ribbon Citizens Pfiesteria Commission in 1997; the chairman of the Maryland Appellate Judicial Nominating Commission from 1999–2003; and a member of the Committee to Establish the Maryland Survivors Scholarship Fund from 2001–2002.
He published an autobiography in 2006.