George W. Hughes

George Wurtz Hughes(September 30, 1806 – September 3, 1870) was a U.S. Representative from the6th Congressional districtof Maryland.

Born inElmira, New York,Hughes received a liberal schooling. He attended theUnited States Military Academyat West Point from 1823 to 1827, having been appointed byCaleb Baker,but was not commissioned and instead became a civil engineer in New York City. In 1829, Hughes began to work for theNew York State Canal Commission.^[1]^[2]

Hughes was appointed to theUnited States Armyon July 7, 1838, as captain ofTopographical Engineers.In 1840, he was sent to Europe by theWar Departmenton an inspection tour of mines, public works and military fortifications. Hughes subsequently served in theMexican–American War,acting as chief engineer on the staff of GeneralJohn E. Woolin 1846 and GeneralWilliam J. Worthin 1847. He was brevetted major of Topographical Engineers on April 18, 1847, for gallant and meritorious conduct during theBattle of Cerro Gordo.Hughes was promoted to lieutenant colonel of a regiment of Maryland and District of Columbia Volunteers on August 4, 1847, and to colonel on October 1, 1847. In December 1847, he was appointed civil and military governor of the Department ofJalapaandPeroteinVeracruz.Hughes was later brevetted lieutenant colonel of Topographical Engineers on May 30, 1848, for meritorious conduct while in Mexico. He was honorably mustered out of thevolunteer serviceon July 24, 1848. From 1849 to 1850, he served as chief engineer of thePanama Railroad,resigning from the regular army on August 4, 1851.^[1]^[3]^[4]

In 1853, Hughes was sent to Europe as a representative of theCrystal Palace Association.In 1854, he became president of theNorthern Central Railway.In 1855, Hughes was appointed quartermaster general of the Maryland militia. In 1856, he was promoted to brigadier general in the militia.^[1]Hughes was later elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-sixth Congress from the6th Congressional districtof Maryland, serving one term from March 4, 1859, to March 3, 1861. He worked as a consulting engineer and planter atWest River, Marylanduntil his death there. The son in law ofVirgil Maxcy,he is interred in the family burying ground of the Galloway and Maxcy families,Tulip Hill,at West River.

Personal

Hughes was the son of John Hughes, who was born in Ireland, and Anna (Konkle) Hughes. She was the daughter of John Konkle and Annie (Wurtz) Konkle. He had a younger brother,Aaron Konkle Hughes,who served as a lieutenant commander in theUnion Navyand retired as a rear admiral.^[2]

Hughes married Ann Sarah Maxcy, who travelled with him on his inspection tour of Europe. Their eldest son, Maxcy Galloway Hughes (1841–1863), was born in Europe. He served as a lieutenant in theConfederate States Armyand was an assistant ordinance officer on the staff of GeneralJohn B. Magruderin the District of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.^[5]^[6]

References

^^a ^b ^cWilson, James Grant; Fiske, John (1887)."Hughes, George Wurtz".Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography.Vol. III. New York, New York: D. Appleton and Company. p. 303.RetrievedNovember 17,2023.
^^a ^bTowner, Ausburn (1892).Our County and Its People: A History of the Valley and County of Chemung.Syracuse, New York: D. Mason & Co., Publishers. pp. 44–45, 91–93.RetrievedNovember 18,2023.
^Heitman, Francis B. (1903).Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army: From Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903.Vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. p. 552.RetrievedNovember 17,2023.
^Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard (1904)."Hughes, George Wurtz".The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans.Vol. V. Boston, Massachusetts: The Biographical Society.RetrievedNovember 18,2023.
^Taylor, Frances Wallace; Matthews, Catherine Taylor; Power, J. Tracy (2000).The Leverett Letters: Correspondence of a South Carolina Family, 1851–1868.Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. p. 481.ISBN 978-1-57003-333-9.RetrievedNovember 18,2023.
^Krick, Robert E. L. (December 4, 2003).Staff Officers in Gray: A Biographical Register of the Staff Officers in the Army of Northern Virginia.The University of North Carolina Press. p. 334.ISBN 978-0-8078-2788-8.RetrievedNovember 18,2023.

United States Congress."George W. Hughes (id: H000921)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Thomas Fielder Bowie	U.S. Congressman from the 6th district of Maryland 1859–1861	Succeeded by Charles Benedict Calvert

[bio-1] Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John (1887)."Hughes, George Wurtz".Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography.Vol. III. New York, New York: D. Appleton and Company. p. 303.RetrievedNovember 17,2023.

[Chemung-2] Towner, Ausburn (1892).Our County and Its People: A History of the Valley and County of Chemung.Syracuse, New York: D. Mason & Co., Publishers. pp. 44–45, 91–93.RetrievedNovember 18,2023.

[3] Heitman, Francis B. (1903).Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army: From Its Organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903.Vol. 1. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. p. 552.RetrievedNovember 17,2023.

[4] Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard (1904)."Hughes, George Wurtz".The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans.Vol. V. Boston, Massachusetts: The Biographical Society.RetrievedNovember 18,2023.

[5] Taylor, Frances Wallace; Matthews, Catherine Taylor; Power, J. Tracy (2000).The Leverett Letters: Correspondence of a South Carolina Family, 1851–1868.Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. p. 481.ISBN 978-1-57003-333-9.RetrievedNovember 18,2023.

[6] Krick, Robert E. L. (December 4, 2003).Staff Officers in Gray: A Biographical Register of the Staff Officers in the Army of Northern Virginia.The University of North Carolina Press. p. 334.ISBN 978-0-8078-2788-8.RetrievedNovember 18,2023.

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