Background
Christopher was born in Baltimore, Maryland on February 11, 1786. He was the son of Christopher Hughes of County Wexford, Ireland, who had settled in Baltimore, and of Margaret (Sanderson) Hughes.
Christopher was born in Baltimore, Maryland on February 11, 1786. He was the son of Christopher Hughes of County Wexford, Ireland, who had settled in Baltimore, and of Margaret (Sanderson) Hughes.
He was educated for the bar.
In 1814 he entered the diplomatic service and was appointed secretary to the American Peace Commission at Ghent, where, by his wit and ability, he made a favorable impression upon the commissioners and formed lifelong friendships with John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay. He was given the honor of conveying one of the copies of the treaty to Washington but, owing to a stormy crossing, he did not reach the United States until after the arrival of Henry Carroll who bore a duplicate. In 1815-16 Hughes was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, where, according to Adams, he made "laws and speeches and puns" (Writings, V, 533).
In 1816 he was sent on a special mission to Cartagena (New Granada), where he obtained the release of a number of American citizens imprisoned by the Spanish authorities and brought them back to the United States. His next appointment, in the same year, was as secretary of legation at Stockholm (Sweden and Norway) where he served for nine years, for the greater part of that period being in charge of the legation with the rank of chargé d'affaires. In 1825 President John Quincy Adams appointed him chargé d'affaires at the court of the Netherlands and also charged him with a temporary special mission to Denmark. In 1828 Adams endeavored to raise him to the rank of minister, but the nomination was not confirmed by the Senate and Hughes remained in the Netherlands as chargé. Two years later (1830) he was transferred to Stockholm as chargé d'affaires and retained that position until 1842 when he returned to the Netherlands in the same capacity. In 1845 he retired from the service and took up his residence in Baltimore, where he died in 1849.
Christopher Hughes was in the diplomatic service for over thirty years, and his success in his career was greatly due to his good-humored wit and social qualities. Although he never held higher rank than that of chargé d'affaires, he won for himself at all his posts a unique place in the inner circle of social and diplomatic life. Henry Clay declared that while he was secretary of state, Hughes sent him more news and more important news than all the other diplomatic agents put together (Clay to Gallatin, MSS. , Department of State, Netherlands, vol. VIII). Collecting and forwarding news was an important part of his service, and many volumes of his long, rambling, humorous letters now lie in the archives of the Department of State.
Quotes from others about the person
His serious qualities are described by John Quincy Adams (Adams to Samuel Smith; MSS. , Department of State, Netherlands, vol. VIII) as "quick observation and accurate judgment, great facility and great assiduity in the transaction of business and an entire devotion to the interests of his country. "
In 1811 married Laura Sophia, daughter of Gen. Samuel Smith, United States senator from Maryland.
1744–1824
1760–1825
1790–1796
1791–1866
1787–1861
(1819—1884)
Died in 1839.
