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Hughes was born in Quitman, the county seat of Wood County, but reared in a blue collar family in nearby Mineola. He graduated in 1987 from Mineola High School and thereafter enrolled at Tyler Junior College. In 1992, he earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Texas at Tyler. A fifth-generation Texan, Hughes was the first member of his family to receive a college education.[4]

Hughes was born in Quitman, the county seat of Wood County, but reared in a blue collar family in nearby Mineola. He graduated in 1987 from Mineola High School and thereafter enrolled at Tyler Junior College. In 1992, he earned his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Texas at Tyler. A fifth-generation Texan, Hughes was the first member of his family to receive a college education.[4]

In 1995, Hughes completed his Juris Doctor degree from Baptist-affiliated Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas. For the next two years, Hughes was a law clerk and briefing attorney for the late U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas William M. Steger of Texas, a pioneer in the Republican Party of Texas, who was his party's 1960 gubernatorial nominee against Governor Price Daniel. The federal courthouse in Tyler, the county seat of Smith County is named for Judge Steger. For a time Hughes practiced law in Marshall in Harrison County,[4] but in 2003, he joined the Lanier law firm in Mineola. He describes his practice as one dedicated to "representing working families and small businesses."[5]

In 1995, Hughes completed his Juris Doctor degree from Baptist-affiliated Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas. For the next two years, Hughes was a law clerk and briefing attorney for the late U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas [[William M. Steger]] of Texas, a pioneer in the Republican Party who was his party's 1960 gubernatorial nominee against Governor [[Price Daniel]]. The federal courthouse in Tyler, the county seat of Smith County is named for Judge Steger. For a time Hughes practiced law in Marshall in Harrison County,[4] but in 2003, he joined the Lanier law firm in Mineola. He describes his practice as one dedicated to "representing working families and small businesses."[5]

Hughes is an active member of the nondenominational Golden Bible Chapel in Golden in Wood County.[4] Among his other affiliations are the Christian Trial Lawyers Association, several bar associations, the American Red Cross,[5] the [[National Rifle Association]], Mineola Rotary,[4] and the Stewards Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to aid churches and their employees financially.[5]

Hughes is an active member of the nondenominational Golden Bible Chapel in Golden in Wood County.[4] Among his other affiliations are the Christian Trial Lawyers Association, several bar associations, the American Red Cross,[5] the [[National Rifle Association]], Mineola Rotary,[4] and the Stewards Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to aid churches and their employees financially.[5]