LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 30 Hughes first visited Silver Bay as governor in Au- gust 1909, arriving on the yacht "Pocahontas," owned by George Foster Peabody, an American banker and philanthropist. Helen Hughes had spent a great deal more time at Silver Bay, while working for the YWCA and as a Vas- sar College student. She launched YWCA clubs for high school girls and volunteered for the organization in Washington, D.C. In summer 1919, weakened by illness, she dreamed of returning to Silver Bay, but she couldn't make the trip and died the following spring. In less than a year, more than $20,000 was raised for a chapel in her memory. President Warren G. Harding and John D. Rockefeller were among the contributors. The chapel was dedicated on June 25, 1922 with Hughes in attendance. Chief Justice Hughes and his wife, Antoinette, visited the chapel for the last time in August 1933 while vaca- tioning at The Sagamore in Bolton Landing. If not for Helen's passing, Hughes would have been the Republican Party's obvious candidate for president in 1920. But he spent almost every weekend at the fam- ily's Glens Falls home during her illness. A campaign seeking the nation's highest office was out of the ques- tion. But he later accepted Harding's appointment as Sec- retary of State (1921-25) and was later named Chief Justice by President Herbert Hoover, presiding over the Supreme Court (1930 -41) during the extremely challenging Great Depression. Hughes died on August 27, 1948 and is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City. While it might not be a household name to many 21st century Americans, Charles Evans Hughes is deserving of recognition alongside the nation's greatest public servants. "The highly effective government and polit- ical order of the Hughes Progressive era is in contrast to the dysfunctional political and governing system of today," Loughrey said. "The Hughes record points the way toward a more functional democracy. He was the greatest chief justice of the United States, one of the best secretaries of state, and the most effective gover- nor New York State ever had. He is the only American politician after the founding of the country to receive these high ratings for the various positions he held during his public career." Charles Evans Hughes: Leadership at America's Cross- roads (Page Publishing, 397 pages) is available in book- stores or at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble. The documentary My Native Air: Charles Evans Hughes & The Adirondacks may be viewed on YouTube. Visit https://authorbillloughrey.com/ to learn more about William Loughrey's work, or attend one of sev- eral upcoming speaking engagements including: • September 2 at 6 p.m.; Northshire Bookstore (Saratoga Springs, NY) • September 14 at 7 p.m.; Warren County Historical Society (Queensbury, NY) • September 16; Chapman Museum (Glens Falls, NY). Contact the Chapman Museum for the event time. Charles Evans Hughes Day is Saturday, Oct. 15, 2026 beginning with a 1 p.m. program at the Hyde Collec- tion on Warren Street, Glens Falls. At 2 p.m., William Loughrey will portray Charles Evans Hughes in an interview with Paul Post, portraying a journalist of the day. The exchange will be followed by questions from the audience. t More on Charles Evans Hughes: Clockwise from bottom: A plaque in Glens Falls City Park outlines the distinguished career of Charles Evans Hughes. A Hughes campaign button from 1916. A John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company ad in a 1962 issue of The Saturday Evening Post praised Hughes.

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