Edward Burton Hughes

Edward Burton Hughes (1905 – 6 June 1987) was Acting Commissioner of New York State Department of Transportation in 1969, Executive Deputy Commissioner of New York State Department of Transportation from 1967-1970, and Deputy Superintendent of New York State Department of Public Works from 1952-1967. Hughes worked over 45 years in public service at the DOT. Upon his retirement in 1970, he founded the E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award.

Edward Burton Hughes
Commissioner New York State Department of Transportation
Acting
In office
July 31, 1969 – September 2, 1969
Appointed byNelson Rockefeller
Preceded byJohn Burch McMorran
Succeeded byTheodore W. Parker
Executive Deputy New York State Department of Transportation
In office
September 1, 1967 – July 31, 1970
Appointed byNelson Rockefeller
Deputy New York State Superintendent of Public Works
In office
August 18, 1952 – September 1, 1967
Appointed byThomas Edmund Dewey
Preceded byFed W. Finch
Personal details
Born1905
DiedJune 6, 1987(1987-06-06) (aged 81–82)
Delmar
Resting placeAlbany Rural Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
Spouse(s)Jane Williams

Biography

Edward Burton Hughes was born in Lansingburgh, Troy, New York, in 1905. Edward and his parents, Edward B. Hughes and Susan, resided at 693 Third Avenue, Troy, New York, and it was here Edward Jr.'s brother John was born in 1909.[1] Edward’s father worked as a bookkeeper at a local grocery store in Troy, New York. Edward Jr. attended Lansingburgh High School and furthered his education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (the oldest private engineering and technical university in the USA) from which he graduated.

Career

E. Burton Hughes joined the New York State Department of Public Works in 1925 as a junior civil engineer in the Bureau of Bridges and Grade Crossings in the main office at Albany. From 1949, Burton Hughes was appointed Director of the Department of Rights of Way and Claims on a yearly salary of $19,500.[2] For four years before that, he had been Assistant Director. In 1952, Burton Hughes became Deputy Superintendent of New York State Department of Public Works, a post he served continuously until Governor Nelson Rockefeller assigned him the newly created position of Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation in 1967.

In 1942, during WWII, E. Burton Hughes served as a Captain assigned to the Division of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in Baltimore. In 1944, Hughes was promoted to Major E. Burton Hughes. He returned to state service in 1945 and resumed his post as Assistant Director of the Rights of Way and Claims Bureau.

During Hughes' post as Deputy Superintendent of New York State Department of Public Works, he worked alongside the Superintendents Bertram Dalley Tallamy (until 1955), John W. Johnson (1955-1959), and John Burch McMorran (1959-1967).

In 1953, at the New York State Conference of Mayors and Other Municipal Officials, Burton Hughes gave his ‘Good Roads for All’ speech, the title of which became associated with him. ‘I suspect all of you, having arrived in Monticello, now are instilled with that insistent Catskill Mountain slogan: ‘We want good roads.’ All of us in the Public Works Department concur, and are doing everything possible to bring more and more good roads to every corner of our great Empire State. It is a tremendous task, and I appreciate this opportunity to outline for you what is being done…etc.’[3] In May 1953, Governor Thomas Edmund Dewey appointed E. Burton Hughes as Chairman of the nine-member Advisory Board to help the State Safety Division’s Bureau of Safety and Accident Prevention.[4] The Advisory Board was formed to draft accident prevention policies and programs.

In 1954, E. Burton Hughes announced during a speech he gave at the State Association of Highway Engineers Annual Convention that the State was '20 years behind in essential road work. $4 Billion is needed just to catch up on the backlog of essential highway construction." Understandably, the news came as a complete shock to everyone at the convention.[5]

When Nelson Rockefeller became Governor of New York State in 1959 (a post he held until 1973), Burton Hughes and Rockefeller became close working colleagues. In 1967, when Rockefeller created the New York State Department of Transportation, Rockefeller assigned E. Burton Hughes, the position of Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation.[6][7] Through their working association, their respective families also became friends. An original etching by actor/artist Lionel Barrymore gifted to Nelson Rockefeller by E. Burton Hughes is housed at the Rockefeller family home Kykuit (also known as the John D. Rockefeller Estate) in Pocantico Hills, in Westchester County, New York.[8]

In 1962, as representatives of the Department of Public Works, J. Burch McMorran and E. Burton Hughes accompanied Governor Nelson Rockefeller on a tour of the Niagara Frontier for a series of inspections and dedication ceremonies involving, power, bridge, arterial and park facilities.[9] The trip included the dedication ceremony of the new South Grand Island Bridge, which was part of the Niagara Power Project.

When John Burch McMorran retired from his post as Commissioner of New York State Department of Transportation on 31 July 1969, Governor Rockefeller appointed E. Burton Hughes the top-level post of Acting Commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation [10] for the interim period of two months until the new Commissioner, Theodore W. Parker, could take office.[11][12] E. Burton Hughes was a popular choice.[13] Congressman Robert Cameron McEwan, in the U.S. House of Representatives, hailed the selection of E. Burton Hughes to be Acting Commissioner of Transportation for the State of New York: ‘I am well acquainted with Mr. Hughes,’ said McEwan, ‘during my 12 years in the New York State Senate, I recognize his ability as an engineer and administrator.’ In a telegram from Congressman Robert Cameron McEwan to congratulate Hughes upon being selected for the post, McEwan wrote: ’Your experience, knowledge and understanding of the Department, and the transportation needs of our state, eminently qualify you for this position. The Governor is to be congratulated for his excellent choice.’ Some newspaper reports rumored Burton Hughes was to have been made the Commissioner full-time, but, as happened, Burton Hughes planned to retire from public office several months later (in 1970) after serving 45 years in public service.[14] During his long career, Hughes served alongside 7 Governors of New York: Al Smith (1925-1928), Franklin D. Roosevelt (1929-1932), Herbert H. Lehman (1933-3/12/1942), Charles Poletti (3/12/1942-31/12/1942, Thomas E. Dewey (1943-1954), W. Averell Harriman (1955-1958), and Nelson Rockefeller (1959-1969).

During Hughes' time as Acting Commissioner some of the works he introduced and proposed included a 60-mile-an-hour speed limit on Route 20,[15] proposed the reconstruction of 4.2 miles of the Shore Airport Road (County Route 43) in the village and town of Ticonderoga, Essex County,[16] and announced the proposal of the construction of 2.66 miles of the Susquehanna Expressway, to be known as Interstate Route 88, plus allied connector roads at Oneonta in Otsego county,[17]

Edward Burton Hughes was a member of the University Club of Albany and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Edward Burton Hughes, aged 82, passed away on Saturday 6 June 1987 at his home in Delmar, New York. His burial took place at the Albany Rural Cemetery.

Family

Edward Burton Hughes married the former Jane Williams (b. 1906, New York) on 2 July 1930 at Rensselaer, New York.[18] [19] They resided for most of their married life in Delmar at 26 Wiltshire Drive, Albany County, New York, 12054. Before living in Delmar, Edward and Jane had lived at 534 Second Avenue [20] and 10A Second Avenue, Troy, New York.[21]

Jane Williams is the cousin of the writer and poet Rev. Aeneas Francon Williams. Jane's mother, Grace Williams (b. 1862), was the sister of the renowned Welsh writer and geographer John Francon Williams. In 1885, Grace married Welsh-born Robert William Williams (1861-1931) in Bethesda, North Wales, hence Grace and her children retained the Williams surname.[22] In late 1891, Grace and Robert and their two young children, Robert Henry (b. 1886) and William John (b. 1888), emigrated to the USA, arriving in New York City in January 1892. The family settled in Granville, Washington, New York. Robert worked as a slate quarryman. Grace and Robert went on to have five more children, all born in America: John Francon (1893-1974, named after her brother), Mary (b. 1896), Jean (b. 1897), Robert C. (b. 1901) and Jane (b. 1906). In the mid-1910s, Robert Henry Williams became a reporter in Lynn, Massachusetts, and an assistant editor on the Lynn Daily Item. During the 1920s, he was a reporter on the Lynn Telegram News.[23]

The E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award

The prestigious E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award was given annually to an outstanding Department employee of the New York State Department of Transportation. It as named in honor of Edward Burton Hughes, who retired in 1970 as Executive Deputy Commissioner after 45 years of Department service.[24] All the recipients of the award receive a silver bowl, an inscribed plaque, and a monetary check.

Recipients of the E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award
  • 1970: Matthew E. Elder - winner of the first E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award, was a foreman with the State Department of Transportation's Washington County Residency.[25][26]
  • 1971: Larry L. Leggett - winner of the second E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award in the New York DOT.[27]
  • 1973: David Putz - winner of the fourth E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award, worked in the Planning Division of the Planning and Research Bureau.[28][29]
  • 1974: Philip D. Morey - winner of the fifth E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award, and an employee of the Albany regional office of the Department of Trade.[30]
  • 1979: Mr. Wendell French - winner of the tenth E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award, a former graduate of Pulaski Academy & Central School (1944) and DOT employee for 35 years.[31]

Notes
  • E. Burton Hughes appointed Deputy Superintendent of the State Public Works Department to succeed Fed W. Finch. Finch applied for retirement from the $15,840-a-year post last week because of ill health. Hughes, a native of Troy, has been director of the department’s bureau of rights of way and claims since 1949.:Plattsburgh Press-Republican, 19 August 1952, front page – New Deputy Sup’t of State PWD Appointed (report).[32]
  • Governor Nelson Rockefeller appointed E. Burton Hughes as Acting Commissioner of Transportation to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of John Burch McMorran on 31 July 1969:The Adirondack Record-Elizabethtown Post, 31 July 1969, front page – Burton Hughes Named Acting Comm. Of Trans. (report).[33]
  • McEwan Hails the Appointment of Hughes:Ogdensburg Journal, 25 July 1969, front page – McEwan Hails the Appointment of Hughes (report).[34]
  • E. Burton Hughes remained in the post of (acting) Commissioner of New York State Department of Transportation for two months until 2 September when Theodore W. Parker aged 60 (a retired Army General) was assigned the position:The Massena Observer, 7 August 1969, page 20 – T. Parker Succeeds B. McMorran (report).[35]
  • E. Burton Hughes of Delmar, a State career employee since 1925, has been designated by Governor Rockefeller as Acting Commissioner of Transportation to fill temporarily the vacancy created by the retirement, 31 July, of J. Burgh McMorran. Mr. Hughes, who has been Executive Deputy Commissioner since 1967, joined the Department of Public Works in 1925 as a junior civil engineer. He became its Deputy Superintendent in 1952 and, with the creation of the successor Department of Transportation in 1967 he was named Executive Deputy Commissioner:The Brewster Standard, 31 July 1969, front page – McMorran Quits Public Works Post – Chief of State Transportation Since 1959 Received Praise from Rockefeller as he Reaches Retirement Age of 70 (report).[36]
  • Photograph taken on 27 April 1967 in the Red Room: Nelson Rockefeller signing the Highway Safety Bill: The picture includes John Burns, J. Burch McMorran, E. Burton Hughes, Dr. Andrew Fleck, Albert Danzig, William Eckhof, Dr. Warren Knox, Holden Evans, James Honey, Ellis Tiker, Dr. Hollis Ingram, Richard Stewart, R. Burdell Bixby and James Allen. Nelson A. Rockefeller photographs, Gubernatorial Press office, Series 3: New York (State). Governor (1959-1973: Rockefeller) Nelson A. (Nelson Aldrich).[37]
  • Nelson A. Rockefeller personal papers, Art, Series C, 1931-1979: Huber-Hull Collection: Nelson A. Rockefeller personal papers, Art, Series C, Sub-series 3: CKU Reference Files: General correspondence and memoranda concerning loans of NAR artworks, possible purchases and inquiries and comments from the public. Huber, Carlos Hubert, Thomas Hudson Guild Hudson, Joseph L. Jr. (The J. L. Hudson Company) Hudson River Museum Hudson River School Hudson Art Valley Association Huethwohl, Charles Huff, Mrs. E. L. Hughes, E. Burton Hughes, Margaret Hulett, Katherine Hull etc.[38]

Further reading
  • E. Burton Hughes biography in The New York Red Book, 1977.[39]

References
  1. 1910 US Census: Edward B. Hughes (head) aged 30, Susan B. Hughes (wife) aged 30, E. Burton Hughes (son) aged 5, John Hughes (son) aged 11/12 months. Address: 693 Third Avenue, Troy. All members of the family were born in New York
  2. The Troy Record, New York, 5 March 1959, page 2 - Troy Native Renamed To State Post (report) (retrieved 29 January 2018)
  3. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, New York State Conference of Mayors and Other Municipal Officials, pages, 3, 25 & 26 (retrieved 23 April 2018): https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=V1U5AQAAIAAJ&q=E.+Burton+Hughes&dq=E.+Burton+Hughes&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiXwajBn9DaAhXGJsAKHbagDvk4ChDoAQgrMAE
  4. Ogdensburg Journal, 26 May 1953, front page – Dewey Appoints Advisory Board to Safety Bureau (report)
  5. E. Burton Hughes speech at the Annual Convention of the State Association of Highway Engineers (retrieved 23 April 2018). https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=s5w7AAAAMAAJ&dq=Good+Roads+For+All+E.+Burton+Hughes+1953&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=E.+Burton+Hughes+
  6. The Massena Observer, 12 September 1967, page 7 – J. Burch McMorran Named Head of New Transportation Department by Governor Nelson Rockefeller (report) (retrieved 30 January 2018) ‘Governor Rockefeller has announced the appointment of J. Burch McMorran as Commissioner of the new Department of Transportation, effective 1 September 1967. He also announced the appointment of E. Burton Hughes as Executive Deputy Commissioner…’
  7. Poughkeepsie Journal, New York, 30 August 1967, page 22 - Works Superintendent J. Burch McMorran is Gov. Rockefeller's choice (report) (retrieved 29 January 2018)
  8. Nelson A. Rockefeller personal papers, Art, Series C (FA340), Subseries 2: NAR Artist Files, Box 12, Folder 109: This file contains the documentation surrounding a gift from E. Burton Hughes to Nelson Rockefeller. Rockefeller Archive Center, 15 Dayton Avenue, Sleepy Hollow, New York 10591
  9. Ogdensburg Journal, 8 October 1962, page 4 – Governor to Participate in Niagara Dedication (report) (retrieved 30 January 2018)
  10. The Adirondack Record-Elizabethtown Post, 31 July 1969, front page – Burton Hughes Named Acting Comm. of Trans., (report) (retrieved 30 January 2018)
  11. The Massena Observer, 7 August 1969, page 20 – T. Parker Succeeds McMorran (report) (retrieved 30 January 2018)
  12. Engineering News-record, Volume 183, McGraw-Hill, 10 July 1969, page 99 – Commissioner J. Burch McMorran steps down from his office after a career with the department dating back to 1922. Gov. Nelson Rockefeller has appointed executive deputy commissioner E. Burton Hughes as commissioner on an interim basis. (Original held at the University of California) (retrieved 23 April 2018): https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rx5QAAAAYAAJ&dq=Good+Roads+For+All+E.+Burton+Hughes&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=+E.+Burton+Hughes
  13. Ogdensburg Journal, 25 July 1969, front page –McEwan Hails Appointment of Hughes (report) (retrieved 30 January 2018)
  14. The Troy Record, New York, 22 July 1969, page 11 - Hughes Seen As Successor To McMorran (report) (retrieved 29 January 2018)
  15. Cazenovia Republican, 3 September 1969, page 2 – New Speed Limit For Route 20 (report) (retrieved 30 January 2018)
  16. Essex County Republican, 29 August 1969, page 13 – State Announces Road Rebuilding in Ti Township (report) (retrieved 30 January 2018)
  17. Catskill Mountain News, 21 August 1969, page 10 – Hearing Invited on Oneonta Road (report) (retrieved 30 January 2018)
  18. E. Burton Hughes and Jane Williams marriage certificate ref: Vol. 9 No. 23682
  19. Mrs Grace Williams of the State Road announce the marriage of her daughter Jane, to E. Burton Hughes of Troy, which took place July 2, 1930. After May 1, Mr and Mrs Hughes will reside at 534 Second Avenue, Troy. Miss Williams is a graduate of the Granville High School class of 1923 and of the Samaritan Hospital for Nurses at Troy and has since been employed in that city. Mr Hughes is a civil engineer employed by the state department of highways. The Granville Sentinel, N.Y., April 28, 1932, - Legal Notice (retrieved Dec. 15, 2020)
  20. E. Burton Hughes and Jane V. Hughes are listed in US City phone Directories, Troy, NY, (1932-33), as living at 534 Second Avenue
  21. 1940 US Census: Edward Burton Hughes (aged 35) and his wife Jane Williams (aged 34) are living at 10A Second Avenue. Edward is employed as a Claims Adjuster in the Department of Rights of Way and Claims.
  22. Ancestry.com: Grace Williams family tree (retrieved 12 February 2018)
  23. Ancestry.com: Robert henry Williams family tree (retrieved 12 February 2018)
  24. Spotlight Magazine, 27 December 1973, page 16 - The E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award (report)
  25. The Times Record, Troy, New York, Thursday 19 November 1970, page 13 - Man Honored By State Unit (report) (retrieved 24 February 2018): https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/58815031/
  26. E. Burton Hughes, who retired as Executive Deputy Commissioner in 1970 after 45 years of State service, returned to the Department offices to present the first annual E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award to Matthew A. Elder, foreman in the Washington County residency, at ceremonies in November. Annual Report, 1970, page 16 - E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award (retrieved 23 April 2018): https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_6MiAQAAMAAJ&dq=Good+Roads+For+All+E.+Burton+Hughes&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=E.+Burton+Hughes
  27. Better Roads, 1971, volumes 41-42, page 99 - Larry L. Leggett is the 1971 winner of the New York DOT's E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award (retrieved 22 April 2018): https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=H0wqAQAAIAAJ&dq=Good+Roads+For+All+E.+Burton+Hughes&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=E.+Burton+Hughes+
  28. NYPTA (New York Public Transport Association) Class of 2000 - David Putz: https://nytransit.org/42-about/hall-of-fame/class-of-2000/84-class-of-2000
  29. ’Commissioner Schuler congratulates David G. Putz, winner of the 1973 E. Burton Hughes Achievement Award. A transportation analyst in the Main Office, Mr. Putz was chosen for the fourth annual award for his exceptional leadership in contributing to the development of public transportation in the Rochester area.’ Annual Report, 1973, page 15 (retrieved 22 April 2018): https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YqUiAQAAMAAJ&q=E.+Burton+Hughes&dq=E.+Burton+Hughes&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQmb-UmNDaAhVlI8AKHZqEAe8Q6AEIJzAA
  30. Unidentified 1974 Newspaper Cutting: Mr. Morey Wins Transportation Award (report) http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%2021/Saratoga%20Springs%20NY%20Saratogian/Saratoga%20Springs%20NY%20Saratogian%201876/Saratoga%20Springs%20NY%20Saratogian%201876%20-%201423.pdf
  31. The Pulaski Democrat, 17 October 1979, page 5 – Former Pulaski Resident Receives E. Burton Hughes Award (report) (retrieved 30 January 2018)
  32. E. Burton Hughes appointed Deputy Superintendent of the State Public Works Department: http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031356/1952-08-19/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=01%2F01%2F1870&sort=relevance&date2=12%2F31%2F1999&searchType=advanced&SearchType=prox5&sequence=0&index=7&words=Burton+E+Hughes&proxdistance=5&to_year=1999&rows=20&ortext=&from_year=1870&proxtext=E.+Burton+Hughes&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=2
  33. Governor Nelson Rockefeller appoints E. Burton Hughes:http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn87070340/1969-07-31/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=01%2F01%2F1870&index=18&date2=12%2F31%2F1999&searchType=advanced&SearchType=prox5&sequence=0&words=BURTON+Burton+E+HUGHES+Hughes&proxdistance=5&to_year=1999&rows=20&ortext=&from_year=1870&proxtext=E.+Burton+Hughes&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=1
  34. McEwan Hails the Appointment of Hughes: http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031165/1969-07-25/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=01%2F01%2F1870&index=11&date2=12%2F31%2F1999&searchType=advanced&SearchType=prox5&sequence=0&words=Burton+E+Hughes&proxdistance=5&to_year=1999&rows=20&ortext=&from_year=1870&proxtext=E.+Burton+Hughes&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=1
  35. The Massena Observer, 7 August 1969, page 20: http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031311/1969-08-07/ed-1/seq-20/#date1=01%2F01%2F1870&sort=relevance&date2=12%2F31%2F1999&searchType=advanced&SearchType=prox5&sequence=0&index=0&words=Burton+E+Hughes&proxdistance=5&to_year=1999&rows=20&ortext=&from_year=1870&proxtext=E.+Burton+Hughes&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=2
  36. E. Burton Hughes Bio: http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn84031640/1969-07-31/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=01%2F01%2F1870&sort=relevance&date2=12%2F31%2F1999&searchType=advanced&SearchType=prox5&sequence=0&index=9&words=Burton+E+Hughes&proxdistance=5&to_year=1999&rows=20&ortext=&from_year=1870&proxtext=E.+Burton+Hughes&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=2
  37. Photograph, 27 April 1967 http://dimes.rockarch.org/xtf/search?keyword=E.+Burton+Hughes
  38. Nelson A. Rockefeller personal papers, Art, Series C, 1931-1979: http://dimes.rockarch.org/xtf/view?docId=ead/FA340/FA340.xml;query=E.%20Burton%20Hughes;chunk.id=headerlink;brand=default
  39. E. Burton Hughes biography in The New York Red Book, 1977, page 448, publ. Williams Press: ‘Deputy Superintendent E. Burton Hughes is a career employee in State service, having joined the State Department of Public Works on November 10, 1925, as a junior civil engineer in the Bureau of Bridges and Grade Crossings. He was appointed to his present post as Deputy Superintendent of Public Works on September 11, 1952. From January 1, 1949 until he became Deputy Superintendent, he was Director of the Bureau of Rights of Way and Claims, etc.’ (retrieved 23 April 2018) https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=z80GAQAAIAAJ&q=E.+Burton+Hughes&dq=E.+Burton+Hughes&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQmb-UmNDaAhVlI8AKHZqEAe8Q6AEIOjAE
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