Texas History Minute

Continued from last week

Judge Sarah T. Hughes had never met Sen Lyndon Johnson in person before 1960, she told an interviewer in 1968 She met him for the first time in 1960 as the vice-presidential nominee, campaigning for him in the hard-fought contest for Texas that year She was already a respected figure across Dallas and in the legal community, already having served as a legislator and a state judge for nearly a quarter of a century Hughes and Johnson would become close friends and the next phase of her life emerged because of his influence

At 65, when most people were preparing to retire, Hughes was determined to move up the ladder She had failed in earlier election quests for Congress and the Texas Supreme Court In 1961, she asked her old friends Vice-President Lyndon Johnson and Sen Ralph Yarbrough to recommend her for a federal judgeship Johnson, Yarbrough, and House Speaker Sam Rayburn of Bonham lobbied President John F Kennedy for the appointment Several women had been appointed to the federal judiciary already, starting with Judge Kathryn Sellers in 1918, but the issue that the American Bar Association and even Attorney General Robert F Kennedy had was her age President Kennedy nevertheless was impressed by her accomplishments and appointed her to the newly-created position of Federal Judge for the District of North Texas

It was that fateful trip to Dallas by President Kennedy on November 22, 1963, that thrust her into the national spotlight After Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson, fearing a Soviet plot, insisted on being sworn in as president immediately and asked for Hughes The judge was preparing to leave for Austin to see Kennedy’s speech that night when Barefoot Sanders, a United States Attorney and future federal judge, contacted her and asked her to come to Love Field to swear in Johnson aboard Air Force One Hughes administered the oath to

Johnson in a cramped compartment aboard the plane with the grieving aides and next to a traumatized Jackie Kennedy still in clothes covered in her husband’s blood Only photographs from reporters and an audio recording exist as no TV cameras were present In that horrible moment, Hughes became the only woman to swear in a president – and the only Texan

In 1964, the Federal Bar Association presented its first Outstanding Woman Jurist Award to Hughes That year, she suffered a devastating loss as her husband of 42 years, George Hughes, by then a distinguished attorney for the Veterans Administration, died

Hughes continued to deliver a number of important decisions as federal judge, including upholding federal civil rights laws regarding equal pay for women in 1969 and demanding improved conditions for inmates at the Dallas County Jail several years later She closely oversaw the improvements made to the jail for safety and hygiene, and these improvements became a model for many other communities She gave speeches across the state, often calling for more women to get involved in law and was part of the dedication of the Lyndon B Johnson Presidential Library in Austin in 1971

She retired from her full-time status in 1975 at age 79 A stroke forced her to retire entirely in 1982. She spent her last years in a Dallas nursing home, where she died in April 1985 at age 88

In 1981, the Sarah T Hughes Scholarship was established in her honor The scholarship, which aims to attract more minority students to law is a full-tuition scholarship to Dallas-area law schools; and more than $2 million has been raised in support of it After her personal papers were donated to the University of North Texas, the university opened the Sarah T. Hughes Reading Room at its main library The Federal Bar Association named a civil rights award in her honor as well

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

The Lord will bless his people with peace

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit with a nice elderly lady and she was sharing with me about her health issues and other concerns

Suddenly she stopped and wanted to know if she could ask me a serious question I said of course, and she proceeded to relay that she felt silly asking me about salvation, especially with her being a church member since she was a child Her question was, “How can I really know that I am going to heaven?” y Holland

I do not believe this is anything to be embarrassed about, in fact, it’s rather common as I’ve actually examined my own soul from time to time I could sense the heaviness of doubt was stealing her spiritual joy, and this can escalate into fear and anxiety I spent some time reminding her of the basic fundamentals pertaining to faith and God’s truth which can never fail I suggested that she just be honest with God and tell him how she feels After I left, I continued to think about how easy it is for any of us to drift away from the peaceful harbor of hope and encouragement and how important it is to keep a positive perspective and remain focused on God’s promises

The opposite of peace is being anxious and many times we experience fear and worry when we are uncertain of what is going to happen This negative energy has the intention to consume us and control our mind and will continue to haunt us until we choose to battle against it. Spiritual warfare is a reality and it’s the believer’s responsibility to call on the Lord for help as we defend against the darkness of panic, pity, and depression. Living in peace is not something that happens naturally, but rather is a learned behavior People or circumstances cannot dictate our thoughts, we choose our response and reaction We talk about our need to trust God and how we must stand strong in the times of adversity, but this state of mind will require persistent prayer and self-discipline Faith believes that God can see into the future and that nothing surprises him which includes him understanding the trials we are going through and all of the situations we will encounter Being convinced that Christ will provide for us along with accepting that his power is greater than any problem that might threaten us can bring comfort and assurance Constantly reminding ourselves that God listens to us and that he is aware of everything that is going on in our lives can help us to trust and rest in his perfect peace Psalm 29:11 promises, “The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace ”

There is no greater confidence or joy than to be filled with God’s peace Spiritual peace is far beyond our physical emotions as his ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts His peace is stronger than our fears and chases away our worries and anxieties as it floods our heart with courage and fortitude

Jesus is victorious and his promises are guaranteed to quiet our soul and replace our restlessness with his safety and contentment

Proverbs

3:24 reminds us, “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet ” One of the many names for Jesus is the Prince of peace and soon, He will return and establish his kingdom of peace for all eternity

We rejoice in this truth and look forward to experiencing the freedom from conflict and fear, but we do not need to wait until then to embrace this lifestyle of calmness If we choose to abide in God’s presence no matter how intense the storms are raging, we are supported under the shadow of his protection The world growing darker and chaos increasing cannot limit or diminish our hope and peace. It is only when we drift away from his truth and lean on our own understanding that we become troubled and perplexed The Lord is giving us an offer that we must not refuse which is to give him our worries in exchange for the tranquility of his presence Listen to Paul’s encouragement found in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus ”

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