Date Original
1888-1889
Description
This collection contains a letter book of outgoing correspondence by Simon P. Hughes and James P. Eagle between 1888 and 1889.
Biographical/Historical Note
Simon P. Hughes (1830-1906) served as Governor of Arkansas from 1885-1889. Hughes was born in Smith County, Tennessee, on April 14, 1830. Educated in Tennessee, Hughes was admitted to the Arkansas bar in 1857 and practiced law in Clarendon, Arkansas. During the Civil War, he enlisted and was commissioned as a captain, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Hughes first entered politics in 1853 as sheriff of Monroe County, where he served for two years. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1866 to 1867, was a delegate to the 1874 Arkansas Constitutional Convention, and Arkansas' attorney general from 1874 to 1877. On September 1, 1884, Hughes was elected Governor of Arkansas. He later served on the Arkansas Supreme Court for 16 years before his death in 1906. James Phillip Eagle (1837-1904) served as Governor of Arkansas from 1889-1893. Eagle was born in Maury County, Tennessee, on August 10, 1837. His family moved to Arkansas where James was educated in the county schools. He served as sheriff of Prairie County before the Civil War. During the Civil War, Eagle enlisted as a private, and rose later to the rank of colonel. He served as a member of the Arkansas Legislature, serving from 1873 to 1878, and in 1885, he served as speaker of the house. Eagle was nominated by the Democratic State Convention for governor in 1888, and was elected in September. He was reelected to a second term in 1890. During his tenure, he advocated reform in the state penitentiary system, supported a progressive policy on immigration, and endorsed liberal support for education. In 1902, he was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and twice was reelected. Governor James P. Eagle died of heart failure on December 19, 1904, in Little Rock and is buried at Little Rock's Mount Holly Cemetery.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000638
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Simon P. Hughes and James P. Eagle letters, MS.000638
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Simon P. and James P. Eagle Hughes letters, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
