Samuel C. Hughes

Samuel C. Hughes (August 28, 1829 – June 20, 1917) was a Welsh-born American businessman and politician. He was one of the first people to move to Arizona for health reasons. After his arrival, he became one of Tucson's leading citizens and the brother-in-law and business partner to Arizona Territorial delegate Hiram S. Stevens.

Hughes was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales on August 28, 1829. His siblings included Arizona Governor L. C. Hughes. His family immigrated to the United States in 1837, settling near Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. The death of his parents forced him to enter the workforce at a young age. While Hughes' formal education consisted of three days of school room instruction, he learned a variety of skills while working. His early employment included positions as a factory worker, canal boat driver, and apprentice baker before becoming a cabin boy on a steamboat in 1848. Two years later, working as a cook to pay his way, Hughes traveled from St. Joseph, Missouri to Hangtown, California.

In California, Hughes worked as a stagecoach stop operator, hotel keeper, restaurant owner, and miner. He was in Yreka, California in 1851, moving to Jacksonville, Oregon the next year. He began working near the Siskiyou Mountains in 1853. Three years later, Hughes was in the Shasta Valley learning about cattle ranching.

A diagnosis of tuberculosis forced Hughes to leave California. Seeking a warmer climate, he set out for Texas. The advanced stage of his medical problems forced him to stop in both Yuma and Maricopa Wells, New Mexico Territory for several days rest before reaching Tucson on March 12, 1858. Hughes found the town to his liking and ended up making it his home.

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