Texas History Minute

in her time in the legislature, but failed She continued to work for it afterward, and as a result of her work, the right for Texas women to serve on juries was secured by 1954 life, but became the first woman appointed as a federal judge in Texas and also became a nationallyknown figure amidst a national tragedy

She was born Sarah Tilghman in Baltimore in 1896 As a youth, she was extremely intelligent and also very determined She excelled at athletics and academics alike

She earned a bachelors degree from Baltimore’s Goucher College, then an all-women’s college After graduating in 1917, she took a series of interesting jobs on her way to her law career She taught science for two years at a small school in North Carolina before coming to Washington, DC, to attend law school at George Washington University In a time before women could vote nationwide or even attend some universities, she was determined to become an attorney and worked her way through law school as a police officer, taking classes at night For a time, she even had to live in a tent on the edge of the city

She met her future husband, George Hughes, a Texas native, in law school The two married in 1922 and left for Dallas While her husband quickly found success with a private firm, Sarah Hughes had a difficult time as a woman in spite of her impressive law school degree. One law firm in Dallas hired her as a receptionist and only handed her a few cases at first Within a short time, she earned the respect of the other attorneys. Nevertheless, she enjoyed the law and “the thrill of a fight” as an attorney, as she told an audience in 1928

In 1930, she was elected to the state legislature She worked for rights for women and served on the Judiciary and Labor committees One issue she had become passionate about was a law barring women from serving on juries She attempted to have the law changed

In January 1935, as Hughes started her third term in the legislature, Gov. James V. Allred appointed Hughes to an open judicial, the 14th District Court in Dallas In the process, she became the first Texas woman to serve as a district judge She was elected to a full term in 1936 and re-elected every four years up to 1960 When influential Dallas Congressman Hatton Sumners retired in 1946, Hughes jumped at the chance to run for the seat that comprised all of Dallas County However, she came just short in the primary against J Franklin Wilson, himself a former Dallas judge

She had become a respected figure in legal circles and had generously donated to her old college in Maryland In honor of what she had achieved, Goucher College established the Sarah T Hughes Field Center in Politics to study Maryland politics and to encourage students to get more heavily involved in politics She helped secure Dallas County’s first juvenile detention center in 1950 In 1952, she was surprised by being nominated for vicepresident at the Democratic National Convention She realized she did not have a chance and won only one vote while the vice-presidential nomination went to Sen John Sparkman of Alabama with Illinois Gov Adlai Stevenson heading the ticket

Hughes ran for the State Supreme Court in 1958 In a hard-fought contest, she won 49 3% of the vote, coming up just 14,000 votes short in her race against incumbent Justice Joe Greenhill.

In spite of her disappointing loss, Hughes was still looking forward as the 1960s approached She would soon embark on the most memorable phase of her career

Continued next week

Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail.com.

All is not lost, God is still in control

Everyone knows there is an abundance of chaos, disagreement, and anger in this nation and around the globe I would not be an honest messenger of God, if I said this old world did not have some serious problems and that there is nothing to be concerned about However, I believe that God is in control and will rule upon his throne forever. Regardless of how wicked and corrupt this culture becomes and how many Christians may compromise and drift into apathy, God is still the Almighty Creator of all things, his promises are true, and he has a remnant of holy, sanctified warriors who love him and will faithfully represent him until the end Some today might be convinced the enemy has hypnotized all of God’s people, but darkness can never overcome the light! There are still good people who are showing love and compassion There are individuals of integrity and sincerity who are joyfully taking up their crosses because they are being led by the Holy Spirit There are individuals who are praying every day for those around them and for this nation and they are seeing God’s miracles happening today just like when Jesus walked the earth y Holland midst of our trials and burdens, there is wonderful news for every Christian who is discouraged by the wickedness in this present generation The Bible teaches and affirms that God is never surprised or alarmed He is sovereign over all things, including human history He created the galaxies and upholds the universe by the word of his authority He is Alpha and Omega and knows the thoughts of every person on earth Nothing can happen that he does not allow, and he works all things for the good of his people and his glory The reality of God’s sovereignty is meant to give us security and joy and confidence to trust him at all times, even when we are perplexed and disappointed We cannot give each other the peace that passes all understanding; it must be received from God Instead of spending our time on social media telling everyone how bad it is and distributing depression, let us be filled with anticipation and live in the excitement that Jesus is the lord of lords and the king of kings and that he is returning soon! joy, hope, and confidence while going through any situation if we choose to allow Christ to shine within us Jesus is the light and is always looking for someone who is willing to be his lamp “The

Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

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