“I want my legacy to be a celebration of civic duty and storytelling and how important it is to maintain our respect for cultural institutions even as the world evolves.”
“I am in no way a spokesman for the Office of Secretary of State. My views may not necessarily be those of the Secretary of State or anyone I’ve worked with. I’m a historian, and it’s a testimony to those Secretaries of State with whom I’ve worked that I have not been second guessed about telling the truth about history, and there hasn’t been a partisan litmus test — not once.”
In a sometimes emotional exit interview on Inside Olympia, John C. Hughes reflected on nearly six decades chronicling Washington’s past — from rural newsrooms to state archives — while voicing deep concern about institutions slipping into obscurity.
Starting as a reporter at The Daily World in Aberdeen, Hughes remained rooted in Grays Harbor, working his way up to editor and publisher even as big-city papers beckoned. As he described it, “Grays Harbor is one of those places that has terroir, a sense of place.” Over 42 years, he led the team through environmental battles, union fights and investigative high points, mentoring journalists who would later win Pulitzer Prizes.
For the past 17 years, he served as chief historian for Legacy Washington under the Secretary of State, producing 17 books and countless oral histories. Hughes pointed to several works he considers most consequential. John Spellman: Politics Never Broke His Heart profiled the state’s last Republican governor, who “stood up for due process and the environment, even at great political cost.” Slade Gorton: A Half Century in Politics traced the sharp intellect and independence of the late U.S. senator. And The Inimitable Adele Ferguson chronicled the legendary political columnist who wielded a powerful pen in Olympia.
His latest book, New Land, co-authored with historian Ed Echtle, tells the story of Washington’s resettlement of Southeast Asian refugees in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. In what he called a latter-day profile in courage, Hughes cited former Gov. Dan Evans’ leadership. “These are stories that animate us toward citizenship.”
He noted that while printed copies of the books are for sale, the full texts are also available online as free PDFs through Legacy Washington.
Yet a tone of melancholy threaded through his remarks. Hughes mourned the recent deaths of many he wrote about and lamented the closure of public institutions. “I can’t think of anything more gratuitously stupid than to close a great cultural institution like the Washington State Library,” he said of the budget-driven shutdown of both the Tumwater library and the Talking Book & Braille Library in Seattle.
Still, Hughes remains grateful for a long career shaped by people who left an indelible mark on the state. “I count every day as a real blessing. And I get to tell these stories.