Sarah Tilghman Hughes

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American jurist (1896–1985)

Sarah Tilghman Hughes (born Sarah Augusta Tilghman; August 2, 1896 – April 23, 1985) was an American lawyer and federal judge who served on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas . She is best known as the judge who swore in Lyndon B. Johnson as President of the United States on Air Force One after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. She is the only woman to have sworn in a US president. The photo depicting Hughes administering the oath of office to Johnson is widely viewed as the most famous photo ever taken aboard Air Force One.

Early life, family and education

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Born Sarah Augusta Tilghman in Baltimore , Maryland , she was the daughter of Elizabeth (née Haughton) and James Cooke Tilghman. She went to high school at Western Female High School (now Western High School ) in Baltimore, where she was elected president of the freshman class. Standing only five feet one-half inch at maturity, she was described by a classmate as "small but terrible". Her determined personality extended to the athletic field where she participated in intramural track and field, gymnastics, and basketball. Her strong personal discipline was seen in her habit of going to bed by 8 pm and getting up at 4 am, a habit she continued through much of her life. After graduating from Western High School, she attended Goucher College , a then-all-women's college in central Baltimore near home. She participated in athletics at Goucher and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1917.

Two years later, she moved to Washington, D.C. and attended night classes at The George Washington University Law School . She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1922.

Career

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After college, Hughes taught science at Salem Academy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina , for two years. After her move to Washington, D.C. and enrollment in night classes at The George Washington University Law School, she worked as a police officer during the day. As a police officer, Hughes did not carry a gun or wear a police uniform because she worked to prevent crimes among women and girls, patrolling areas where female runaways and prostitutes were normally found. Her job was an expression of the progressive idea of rehabilitation instead of punishment. Hughes later credited this job with instilling in her a sense of commitment and responsibility to women and children. At that time she lived in a tent home near the Potomac River and commuted to the campus by canoe each evening.

In 1922, she moved to Dallas , Texas , with her husband George Ernest Hughes, whom she had met at law school. He quickly found employment, but Sarah faced significant obstacles as a woman during a time in which law firms generally did not regard women as qualified. Eventually, Priest, Herndon, and Ledbetter, a small law firm, gave her a rent-free space and even referred some cases to her in exchange for her services as a receptionist.

As her practice grew, she became increasingly active in local women's organizations. She joined the Zonta Club , the Business and Professional Women's Club, the Dallas Women's Political League, the League of Women Voters , YWCA , Dallas College Club, and the American Association of University Women . Hughes served as Chair of the AAUW Committee on the Economic and Legal Status of Women, advocating equal pay jury service for women, and improved status and recognition for women in the Armed Services.

She practiced law for eight years in Dallas before becoming involved in politics , first being elected in 1930 to three terms in the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat . In 1935, Hughes accepted an appointment as a state judge from Governor James Burr V. Allred for the Fourteenth District Court in Dallas, becoming the state's first female district judge. In 1936, she was elected to the same post. She was re-elected six more times and remained in that post until 1961.

Federal judicial service

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Hughes received a recess appointment from President John F. Kennedy on October 5, 1961, to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas , to a new seat authorized by 75 Stat. 80.[_clarification needed
_] She was nominated to the same position by President Kennedy on January 15, 1962. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 16, 1962, and received her commission on March 17, 1962. She was the only female judge appointed by President Kennedy, the first female federal judge in Texas and the third female to serve in the federal judiciary. She assumed senior status on August 4, 1975. Her service terminated with her death on April 23, 1985.

Circumstances of appointment

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The appointment almost did not happen, according to the historian Robert Caro , because the Kennedy administration thought that Hughes was "too old" and they were seeking younger jurists for the lifetime tenure afforded under Article III for federal judgeships . Hughes had been a "longtime [Johnson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._

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