Sarah T. Hughes was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1896. She would go on to attend Goucher College. After graduating in 1917, Hughes worked as a teacher for two years, and in 1919, despite the overwhelming dismissal of women in politics, Hughes moved from her hometown to Washington DC to pursue a law degree at George Washington Law School. This is where she got her start as a political pioneer. She went on to become the first and only woman to swear in a United States President as she administered the oath of office to Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963.
Hughes was an advocate for women and focused her energies on women’s ineligibility to serve on Texas juries despite their new right to vote per the 19th amendment. To put herself through law school at George Washington University, she worked as a police officer. She often investigated cases involving women and children, explicitly tackling matters that came to the department’s Women’s Bureau. She was the president of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women Clubs, an active committee supporting women for public office. With grace, Hughes championed women’s rights which eventually led to women’s ability to serve on juries.
In 1922, Hughes moved to Dallas, where she practiced law for eight years before becoming involved in Democratic politics. By 1960, a year before becoming the first female Federal Judge, she was the co-chairman for the Kennedy-Johnson campaign committee in Dallas. This campaign was a great show of Hughes’ persistence and commitment to her cause. In a 1968 interview, she said: “I involved myself very deeply in that campaign. I like to campaign, and I even went so far as to put out stickers on people’s cars. I did anything and everything that was necessary to get the votes. I tried to get money–did get some. If necessary I addressed envelopes. I made a great many speeches.”
In 1952, as part of an initiative set by her committee, Hughes was nominated to run for vice-president of the local democratic party, while Margret Chase Smith ran to be a VP for the local GOP. Their goal was to get a woman’s name on the ballot, which they succeeded in before gracefully withdrawing both of their names. This act of advocacy was vital for Hughes as she gained massive respect and support from her peers, namely Sam Rayburn.
She would go on to win election to the Texas House of Representatives, where she served three terms after being elected in 1930. From thereShe was appointed by the Governor in 1935 to be a judge on the Fourteenth District Court in Dallas, where she was Texas’ first female district judge. She was elected to the same post in 1936, and continued to be reelected until 1961.
Sam Rayburn was the 43rd Speaker of the House of Representatives where he served for 48 years, and was the longest-serving speaker in US history. According to Hughes herself, “Attorney General Kennedy took some bills up to Mr. Rayburn having to do with the Department of Justice that he wanted passed, and Mr. Rayburn said, “I’ll see that these bills get passed if you will recommend the appointment of Sarah Hughes.” This is what propelled her career and eventually led to her appointment as the first female United States Federal Judge in 1961 by JFK.
Hughes would retire by 1975 while still serving as a federal judge until 1982. A pioneer in so many ways, it didn’t come easily. In a 1977 interview, Hughes described her success: “It all depends on whether you’re willing to work hard enough to get what you want, not what stands in your way.”
Author
