Hanson Truman Hughes

Hanson Truman Hughes (c. 1840–?) was an American politician and state legislator in North Carolina. He represented Granville County, North Carolina in the North Carolina House of Representatives in 1876.^[1][2] He was one of five African Americans serving in the North Carolina Senate in 1876 to 1877.^[3] He also worked as a barber.^[4][5]

Hanson Truman Hughes
North Carolina House of Representatives
North Carolina Senate
North Carolina justice of the peace
In office April 1881 – ?
Personal details
Born	c. 1840 North Carolina, U.S.
Died	U.S.
Spouse(s)	Delia Ann Reid (married, ?–1897; death)
Children	7
Occupation	Politician, barber
Nickname	H. T. Hughes

Early life

Hanson Truman Hughes was born in North Carolina.^[5] He may have been enslaved prior to the American Civil War ending.^[4] Hanson lived in early life in Oxford, a town in Granville County, North Carolina; and in later life he lived in Charlotte, North Carolina.^[6][7]

He had been married to Delia Ann (née Reid) (1841–1897), together they had 7 children.^[8]

Career

Starting around 1866, he worked as a barber.^[4][9] He owned land and personal property of substantial value and became a leader within the African-American community.^[4][10][11]

In the State v. Hanson T. Hughes et al., he was prosecuted alongside others in 1875, for leading a procession with horses in Oxford, North Carolina in celebration of the emancipation proclamation.^[4][12][13]

Hanson served two terms in the North Carolina state assembly and one term in the North Carolina state senate.^[10] He represented Granville County in the North Carolina House of Representatives, alongside William Crews.^[14] In April 1881, Hughes was appointed as justice of the peace in Oxford Township.^[15][16]

References

1. A History of African Americans in North Carolina (1997) page 210
2. Woodson, Carter Godwin; Logan, Rayford Whittingham (1920). The Journal of Negro History. Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. p. 77.
3. "The North Carolina Historical Review". North Carolina Historical Commission. December 11, 1984 – via Google Books.
4. Longley, Max (January 17, 2020). Quaker Carpetbagger: J. Williams Thorne, Underground Railroad Host Turned North Carolina Politician. McFarland. p. 90. ISBN 9781476637747 – via Google Books.
5. "Historical Papers". Trinity College Historical Society. December 11, 1938 – via Google Books.
6. Reid, George W. (December 11, 1974). "A Biography of George H. White, 1852-1918". Howard University – via Google Books.
7. "The Travellers". Oxford Public Ledger. 1895-10-04. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
8. "Delia Hughes obituary - wife of Hanson T. Hughes - The Gazette (Raleigh, NC) 30, Oct 1897". The Gazette. 1897-10-30. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
9. "Hanson T. Hughes Barber's Notice - Advertisement in The Daily Standard - 26, July 1866". The Daily Standard. 1866-07-26. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
10. Kenzer, Robert C.; Kenzer, Professor Robert C. (December 11, 1997). Enterprising Southerners: Black Economic Success in North Carolina, 1865-1915. University of Virginia Press. p. 90. ISBN 9780813917337 – via Google Books.
11. "Notice From Oxford Public Ledger". Oxford Public Ledger. 1894-01-19. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
12. "North Carolina Reports: Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of North Carolina". North Carolina Supreme Court. Nichols & Gorman. December 11, 1875. pp. 25–26 – via Google Books.
13. "State v. Hughes". vLex. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
14. Representatives, North Carolina General Assembly House of (December 11, 1875). "Journal of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina". M.S. Littlefield – via Google Books.
15. "Hanson T. Hughes as Justice of Peace - 12 April 1881". The Torchlight (newspaper). 1881-04-12. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
16. Senate, North Carolina General Assembly (December 11, 1883). "Journal" – via Google Books.