Editing Charles Evans Hughes (section)

==Legal and academic career==
[[File:Charles Evans Hughes and family (retouched).jpg|thumb|Hughes with his wife and children, {{circa|1916}}]]

Hughes took a position with the [[Wall Street]] law firm of Chamberlain, Carter & Hornblower in 1883, focusing primarily on matters related to contracts and bankruptcies. He was made a [[partner (business rank)|partner]] in the firm in 1888, and the firm changed its name to Carter, Hughes & Cravath (it later became known as [[Hughes Hubbard & Reed]]). Hughes left the firm and became a professor at [[Cornell Law School]] from 1891 to 1893. He returned to Carter, Hughes & Cravath in 1893.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Henretta|2006|pp=120–121}}</ref> He also joined the board of Brown University and served on a special committee that recommended revisions to New York's Code of Civil Procedure.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Simon|2012|p=25}}</ref>

===Exposing corrupt utilities===
Responding to newspaper stories run by the ''[[New York World]]'', Governor [[Frank W. Higgins]] appointed a legislative committee to investigate the state's [[public utilities]] in 1905. On the recommendation of a former state judge who had been impressed by Hughes's performance in court, the legislative committee appointed Hughes to lead the investigation. Hughes was reluctant to take on the powerful utility companies, but Senator [[Frederick C. Stevens (New York politician)|Frederick C. Stevens]], the leader of the committee, convinced Hughes to accept the position. Hughes decided to center his investigation on Consolidated Gas, which controlled the production and sale of gas in New York City.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Simon|2012|pp=26–28}}</ref> Though few expected the committee to have any impact on public corruption, Hughes was able to show that Consolidated Gas had engaged in a pattern of tax evasion and fraudulent bookkeeping. To eliminate or mitigate those abuses, Hughes drafted and convinced the state legislature to pass bills that established a commission to regulate public utilities and lowered gas prices.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Henretta|2006|pp=122–123}}</ref>

===Exposing corrupt insurance companies===

Hughes's success made him a popular public figure in New York, and he was appointed counsel to the [[Armstrong Investigation|Armstrong Insurance Commission]], which investigated the major [[life insurance]] companies headquartered in New York.<ref name="Henretta 2006 124–125">{{harvnb|ps=.|Henretta|2006|pp=124–125}}</ref> His examination of the insurance industry uncovered payments made to journalists and lobbyists as well as payments and other forms of compensation directed to legislators serving throughout the country. His investigation also showed that many top insurance executives had various conflicts of interest and had received huge raises at the same time that dividends to policyholders had fallen. Seeking to remove Hughes from the investigation, Republican leaders nominated him as the party's candidate for Mayor of New York City, but Hughes refused the nomination. His efforts ultimately resulted in the resignation or firing of most of the top-ranking officials in the three major life insurance companies in the United States.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Simon|2012|pp=30–36}}</ref> Following the investigation, Hughes convinced the state legislature to bar insurance companies from owning corporate stock, underwriting securities, or engaging in other banking practices.<ref name="Henretta 2006 124–125"/>