The Collection is divided into three series. Series I (Boxes 1-5) encompass Hughes's correspondence from the years
1920-1967. Series II (Boxes 6 & 7) deal exclusively with matters relating to Hughes's tenure as law professor at Georgetown
and his association with that institution throughout his life. Series III (Boxes 8 - 26) involves itself with all matters pertaining to Hughes's law practice and cases from the years
1919-1970 and are arranged alphabetically.
The Collection maintains two Finding Aids: 1). a "General Finding Aid" and, 2). a ''Detailed Finding Aid" which
gives the researcher a far more itemized accounting of what is in each folder. There are also two (2) OVERSIZED Boxes (Boxes 27 & 28), the contents of which are described in the "General Finding Aid". See the External Documents section below to view both finding aids.
Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.
Researchers are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of the materials being used, establishing who the copyright owner is, locating the copyright owner, and obtaining permission for intended use.
William Joseph Hughes, Jr., lawyer and educator, was born in Washington, D.C., February 7, 1896. He was graduated A.B. in 1917, LL.B. in 1920, and LL.M. in 1921 at Georgetown University. Admitted to the District of Columbia bar in 1920, he conducted a private law practice with his father from 1921-1924. He opened his own law office with William E. Leahy in 1924 and continued in that association until Leahy's death in 1964. Hughes retired from an active law practice in 1970. He specialized in civil and federal procedure which he taught at Georgetown University Law School from 1928-1970. He was made professor emeritus upon his retirement from Georgetown in 1970. He coauthored with his father a sixteen-volume set of books on procedures in federal courts, Hughes Federa1 Practice Jurisdiction & Procedure, which became a standard law reference. In 1931, as an appellate lawyer, Hughes represented Albert B. Fall in a court suit which resulted in Fall's conviction for taking a bribe in the Teapot Dome Scandal ( The Papers and material concerned with the Fall case are not in this collection). In addition to legal work, Hughes was director of the National Metropolitan Bank of Washington, D.C. He served as a U.S. army captain during the First World War. From 1942-1947 he held the rank of colonel and served as assistant chief and then later as chief of the Military Justice Division of the Judge Advocate General Department of the Army. He was awarded the the U.S. Legion of Merit in 1947; the Georgetown University School of Law Legionnaire Medal of Honor in 1964; and the Georgetown University National Alumni Achievement Award in 1962. Hughes was married to Dorothy Wimsatt of Washington, D.C., in 1929 and had four children. After seventy-seven years of service to the law, to the community, and to education, William J. Hughes, Jr. died January 26, 1974 in Washington, D.C.
28 Cubic Feet (28 boxes)
English
The collection is divided into three series:
1. Correspondence from 1920-1967.
2. Hughes' tenure as a law professor at Georgetown University.
3. Hughes' law practice and cases from 1919-1970.
Gift of Mrs. William J. Hughes, Jr., October 1974.
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository