Article

James Laughlin Hughes

Published Online December 17, 2007

Last Edited December 15, 2013

James Laughlin Hughes, educator, author (b near Bowmanville, Ont 20 Feb 1846; d at Toronto 3 Jan 1935), elder brother of Sir Sam HUGHES. Educated at Toronto Normal School, he became principal of its associated Model School at age 24.

Hughes, James Laughlin

James Laughlin Hughes, educator, author (b near Bowmanville, Ont 20 Feb 1846; d at Toronto 3 Jan 1935), elder brother of Sir Sam HUGHES. Educated at Toronto Normal School, he became principal of its associated Model School at age 24. In 1874 he was appointed inspector of public schools for Toronto, and later chief inspector, a position he held until his retirement in 1913. During these years Hughes adapted Toronto's public schools to the demands of an emerging urban-industrial order, increasing pupil attendance, improving the quality of instruction, and introducing kindergartens and manual-training classes. In the 1890 provincial election he was defeated as the EQUAL RIGHTS candidate in Peel constituency. Throughout his life he was active in the Orange Lodge, the Methodist church and Toronto athletic organizations. He wrote a number of educational books, including Froebel's Educational Laws (1898) and Dickens as an Educator (1900), plus several volumes of poetry, including Songs of Gladness and Growth (1915) and In Nature's Temple Shrines (1921).