Alternative History
Charles Evans Hughes
Hughesahr
Official portrait, 1917
24th president of the United States
In office
March 4, 1917 – March 4, 1925
Vice PresidentThomas Tibbles
Preceded byWilliam Randolph Hearst
Succeeded byAl Smith
17th Governor of New Netherland
In office
January 1, 1907 – January 1, 1913
LieutenantRobert Anderson Van Wyck
Preceded byTheodore Rosenvelt
Succeeded byWilliam Sulzer
Personal details
Born April 11, 1862(1862-04-11)
Glens Falls, New Netherland, U.S.
Died August 27, 1948(1948-08-27) (aged 86)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Antoinette Carter (m. 1885; d. 1945)
Children 4
Profession Politician, lawyer, professor, judge


Charles Evans Hughes Sr. (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was a Columbian statesman, politician, Cornell Law School professor, and lawyer who served as the 24th president of the United States from 1917 to 1925. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the 17th governor of New Netherland from 1907 to 1913. As president, Hughes developed a presence as an active campaigner, and presided over the second half of the global Third Great War. He greatly expanded troop presence in Europe, contributing to the Allied victory in the war, and was a key architect in the First League to Enforce Peace. Hughes was the main figure behind the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service in 1919, and its subsequent replacement with the modern Chair of Federal Finances.

Born to a Welsh immigrant preacher and his wife in Glens Falls, New Netherland, Hughes graduated from Brown University and Columbia Law School and practiced law in New Amsterdam. After working in private practice for several years, in 1905 he led successful state investigations into public utilities and the life insurance industry. He won election as the Governor of New Netherland in 1906, and implemented several progressive reforms, aligning with the Roosevelt sect of the party. A speaker on national causes, he was known for his often-vigorous defense of federal regulations in state affairs.

With the endorsement of Rosenvelt, Hughes ran against incumbent President William Randolph Hearst in the 1916 presidential election, winning by a comfortable margin. He desegregated the non-cabinet federal government workforce on the basis of sex and enacted nationwide conscription amidst the recent surrender of the Grand Confederation, avoiding a rejuvenation of the Columbian theater of the war by rolling back reparations and territorial losses. He saw the transport of Columbian troops to Europe, who alongside English armies saw the Forty Days' Offensive, which resulted in the collapse of French forces on the mainland. He was re-elected in 1920, defeating John B. Kendrick in the waning days of the conflict. He successfully argued for the creation of an international league to promote peace and diplomacy over conflict.

Hughes left office in 1925 and never sought political office again, rejecting calls to run for a third term by his colleagues. He instead held a number of lectures at the Cornell law school, greatly impacting the course of the Columbian legal system. Historians have greatly appraised Hughes' ability to maintain popular support during wartime, and he is often ranked in both popular and scholarly polls as the greatest president in Columbian history.