 | ||||
Content Copyright 2006-2007 essentialiowa.com Privacy Policy
Posted February 7, 2007
Harold E. Hughes was born on February 10, 1922, in rural Ida County. His rags-to-riches story and his every day vernacular helped make him one of the most popular governors in Iowa history. Hughes was, in his own words, “a college drop-out (and) a drunk with a jail record.”During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army, fighting in the North African campaign, and was court-martialed for assaulting an officer. As punishment, he was sent to fight in Sicily, where the presiding judge expected him to be killed in action.
Hughes' interest in politics was stirred by involvement in the trucking industry. He became a manager of a local trucking business, and then began organizing independent truckers, "the little guys," in their efforts to get a better deal from the state Commerce Commission. He started the Iowa Better Trucking Bureau and was eventually elected to the State Commerce Commission, which he served from 1958-1962, including a term as its chairman.
During his time as governor, he oversaw the debate to legalize liquor by the drink, to eliminate some state Blue Laws, and to bring sales of liquor under state law. Ironically, Hughes thrust himself into the debate despite – or maybe because – of his own history with booze. After going through periods of drinking, sobriety and relapse, it got to the point that, in 1946, his wife filed an order to have him appear
FAMOUS IOWANS
The famous (and infamous) who have had a lasting impact on the state and the world
Common-man Hughes popular governor
before the Ida County Sanity Commission to show cause why he shouldn’t be "committed to the state insane asylum as an inebriate." He managed to avoid commitment, but his drinking continued periodically until 1952 when his desperation drove him to the brink of suicide.
In the book, “Man from Ida Grove,” he describes in some detail, how he climbed into a bathtub (to make the mess easier to clean up) with a shotgun and was ready to pull the trigger, when he experienced a moment of spiritual enlightenment. He began to study the Bible diligently, develop his prayer life, and even considered a career in the ministry. He also embraced the AA program of recovery and started an AA group in Ida Grove in 1955.
Hughes was raised in a Republican family and Ida County is heavily Republican. But
| ||||
Want to help pay for more content, hosting costs, etc? Click here.
TALKBack
Ask questions, leave a comment, talk about Iowa food and travel, at our new message boards.
A Guide For Newbies and Out-Of-Staters.
THERules
Ask questions, leave a comment, talk about Iowa food and travel, at our new message boards.
A Guide For Newbies and Out-Of-Staters.
INDEPTHIowa
he was persuaded to switch parties and his time on the State Commerce Commission brought him in contact with the Interstate Commerce Commission and national politics. He was persuaded to run for Governor of Iowa on the Democratic ticket and defeated incumbent Republican Norman Erbe in 1962.
Hughes served as Governor from 1962 to 1968. He made a speech seconding the nomination of Lyndon Johnson at the 1964 Democratic convention (a decision he came to regret later) and gained national recognition as a progressive governor as well as a promising national figure in the Democratic Party. Trade missions abroad, and a tour of Vietnam with other governors, provided him with foreign policy experience.
In his 1964 bid for re-election as governor, the issue of a relapse in 1954 was raised by his opponent, Evan Hultman. In a debate, Hultman charged that Hughes’ failure to acknowledge the relapse publicly showed that Hughes lacked integrity. Hughes responded: "I am an alcoholic and will be until the day I die ..... But with God’s help I’ll never touch a drop of alcohol again. Now, can we talk about the issues of this campaign?" According to the Des Moines Register, "The reaction of the crowd was immediate and nearly unanimous." Later, the Register editorialized: "In our opinion, any man or woman who wins that battle and successfully puts the pieces of his or her life back together again deserves commendation, not censure." Hughes won by a landslide.
In 1966, Iowa, when Democrats around the country suffered losses, Hughes won re-election. Because of his popularity, Robert Kennedy persuaded him to run for U.S. Senate seat, which he won.
In early 1970, Hughes began to get press recognition as a "dark horse candidate" for the 1972 presidential election. Columnist David Broder described him as "a very dark horse, but the only Democrat around who excites the kind of personal enthusiasm the Kennedys used to generate." However, Hughes seemed to have little time to play the role of candidate and no one was surprised when he announced he would not run.
People were surprised, though, when he announced on September 5, 1973, that he would retire from the Senate when his term was completed. After he left the Senate, Hughes devoted himself to lay religious work for two foundations based in Washington, and also founded a religious retreat in Maryland. Hughes partnered with former Nixon Aide Charles Colson in his religious work. He also remained a strong advocate for services to chemically dependent people.
After his retirement, Hughes served as a consultant to the Senate and the Senate Judiciary Committee for a year. He then started the Harold Hughes foundation and opened the Harold Hughes Center to combat alcoholism. After some time in Iowa, Hughes considered running for governor in 1982 but did not, in part, after Republican Secretary of State Mary Jane Odell stated she would rule Hughes ineligible because he returned to Iowa less than one year before the 1982 election, Hughes moved to a retirement community in Glendale, Arizona where he died on October 23, 1996.
Harold Hughes