Sarah Tilghman Hughes
Sarah T. Hughes
By: Riley Sutton
Gov.2023.02
Biography
Sarah T. Hughes was a woman's rights activist, legislator, and the first female state and federal judge. She paved the way for other woman to be apart of jury's and made important deciding factors in court-cases that helped many women.
Born
Sarah Hughes was born
on August 2, 1896
in Baltimore, Maryland.
Born
Family
Sarah Hughes parents were James Cooke and Elizabeth Tilghman. Her husband was George Ernest Hughes and had no children.
Death
Sarah Hughes died
on April 23, 1985 in
Dallas, Texas.
Death
Interesting Facts
Sarah T. Hughes lived a long life and worked hard at everything she did. Dedicating her life to making a difference.
Interesting Facts
Fact 1
Fact 1
Sarah Hughes worked hard all her life and did not retire from bench until 1982. Meaning she retired at age 85 and passed away 3 years later in 1985. With only 3 years of retirement before she passed I believe this is a testimony to how much she loved what she did. (Beeman, 2010)
Fact 2
When Sarah Hughes was a State district judge she was "reelected on six subsequent occasions, the last in 1960" (S., Robert, 2010). Being reelected in a high postion like a State District judge is very diffcult to do and Judge Sarah got reelected six times.
Fact 3
While getting her degree from George Washington University of Law in 1922 she was a member of the Washington, D.C. police force.
Fact 4
Sarah T. Hughes is inducted in the Texas Woman's University Woman's Hall of Fame for being the "first woman in Texas to be named federal district judge" (TWU Hall of Fame, 2019)
Fact 4
Role's in Texas History
Significance in history
Sarah T. Hughes was the Texas's first female federal judge. Among her many accomplishments Sarah played many important role in Texas history. An example of this is helping the construction of the first juvenile detention center in Dallas, Texas in 1950 (S., Robert,2010). Also as a federal judge she made decisions during the important court cases of Shultz v. Brookhaven General Hospital, 1969, and also Roe v. Wade in 1970.
In the link provided is a video a montage of Sarah T. Hughes preciding in the federal court and being given her offical gavel.
Video
Video:
https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc700151/
Inspiration
Inspiration
Sarah Hughes is inspiring in different ways:
- She shows that women can they can strive and suceed in advanced positions in state or federal government.
- She worked hard to the postions she got to and inspires me to work harder and find a passion I enjoy and can work at it for a long time like she did.
Picture
(Beeman, 2010)
Citations
Citations
- Beeman, Cynthia J. “Sarah Tilghman Hughes.” Women in Texas History, www.womenintexashistory.org/biographies/sarah-t-hughes/.S., Robert. “HUGHES, SARAH TILGHMAN.” The Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), 15 June 2010, tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhu68.
- [Clip: Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes, Part 2], video, October 5, 1961; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc700151/: accessed March 27, 2020), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.
- S., Robert. “HUGHES, SARAH TILGHMAN.” The Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), 15 June 2010, tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhu68.
- “Sarah Tilghman Hughes.” Sarah Tilghman Hughes - Texas Women's Hall of Fame - Texas Woman's University, twu.edu/twhf/honorees/sarah-tilghman-hughes/.