Dudley Mays Hughes

Who was Dudley Mays Hughes?

Dudley Mays Hughes was an American politician, farmer and railroad executive.

Hughes was born in Jeffersonville, Georgia, and attended the University of Georgia in Athens.

In 1882, Hughes was elected to the Georgia Senate 1883 and reelected the next year. From 1904 to 1906, he served as the president of the Georgia State Agricultural Society. In 1905, he was became a UGA trustee and remained on that board until his death. He also served on the board of trustees for the Danville School, the Georgia State Normal Institute and the Georgia State Agricultural College.

Hughes was involved in several business including Magnolia Orchard and the Georgia Fruit Land Company. He served as president of the Georgia Fruit Growers Association. After serving as one of the original founders of the Macon, Dublin & Savannah Railroad chartered in 1885, Hughes served as its president until 1891 and as a director.

In 1906, Hughes ran as a Democrat against incumbent Elijah B. Lewis in Georgia's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives and lost. In 1908, Hughes ran against Lewis again and won. He served four consecutive terms in office; however, the Georgia General Assembly reapportioned the congressional districts in 1912, and Hughes district became Georgia's 12th congressional district. Hughes lost his bid for reelection in 1916. He returned to farming in Danville, Georgia, and died in Macon, Georgia, in 1927. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Perry, Georgia.