- Ted Hughes and Associates, 1962-2019.
About Ted Hughes
Returning from military service during the Korean War, Ted Hughes turned his love of railroads and transportation into a career as a lobbyist. Hughes established himself in the sales department of Union Pacific Railroad and then moved onto lobbying for the Oregon Railroad Association at the Oregon Legislature.
In his oral history Ted Hughes defines what a lobbyist does, his approach to lobbying, and how the profession has changed and expanded since his arrival in Salem in 1963. As one of only four new lobbyists in Salem that year, Ted equates the growth in the number of lobbyists to the growth of government, both state and municipal.
Further, he describes how every Oregonian is represented at the legislature by a lobbyist because every profession, trade, and educational organization is represented by a lobbyist to protect their interests. Hughes succinctly states the lobbyist’s objective: “It’s a tough job because you have to get the language right in the bills that are being drafted, and help pass them if you like them, and kill ‘em if you don’t. That’s oversimplified, but that’s exactly what we do in all government affairs work.” Hughes did just that for over twenty-five clients over the course of his forty-two plus years in Salem.
You can help preserve history
When you donate to the Capitol Foundation or purchase Pacific Wonderland license plates for your car, you help create a living history of our Capitol and its history. Your support funds programs such as our oral history project. This program gives students, history buffs and our state’s future leaders an opportunity to learn about Oregon’s most important stories from the people who made it happen. Thank you!