Hubbard began his career as a
stonecutter. He moved to
Rushville, Indiana, in 1838, where he was employed as a book agent and taught school. He studied law, was
admitted to the bar in 1841 and commenced practice in Rushville. He served as member of the
Indiana House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849. In 1857, he moved to
Sioux City, Iowa, and engaged in the
real estate business. He served as judge of the fourth
judicial district from 1859 to 1862. In 1862, after the
1860 United States census caused Iowa's seats in the U.S. House to increase from two to six, Hubbard became the first Congressman to represent Iowa's 6th congressional district. Re-elected twice, he served in the
Thirty-eighth,
Thirty-ninth, and
Fortieth Congresses. He was influential in securing legislation which hastened the building of several lines of
railroad through his district, besides securing to
Sioux City a branch of the
Union Pacific Railroad. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1868. In all, he served in Congress from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1869. Hubbard was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Sioux City in 1871, and served as its president until January 15, 1879. He also had interests in railroad building in Iowa and in a mining property in
Leadville, Colorado. == Personal life ==