Everett Hughes, while born in what is now South Dakota, was raised in Minnesota and appointed to the
United States Military Academy,
West Point, New York, from that state. He is noted for being the first captain of the West Point lacrosse team. Hughes graduated 13th in his class from West Point with a
B.S. in 1908, In 1912 he graduated from the Ordnance School of Technology at the
Watertown Arsenal,
Massachusetts, and was seconded to the
Ordnance Department. He was posted to Manila Ordnance Depot in the
Philippines, where he was promoted to
captain on June 20, 1913. His secondment to the Ordnance Department ended on June 20, 1915, and he was assigned to the
4th Field Artillery at
Fort Bliss, Texas. On graduation from the War College, it was normal for officers to serve on a staff posting, so he returned to Washington, D.C., for duty with the G-1 Branch of the
War Department General Staff. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel again on November 13, 1931. On August 17, 1932, he was posted to the
Aberdeen Proving Ground, where he remained until August 26, 1935, when he was transferred to the
Picatinny Arsenal. He was promoted to colonel again on October 1, 1936. On May 20, 1939, he returned to duty in the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, where he was serving when the United States entered
World War II. On May 19, 1942, Hughes became Chief of Ordnance of the
European Theater of Operations United States Army (ETOUSA). He became Chief of Staff of the Services of Supply on July 29, with the rank of
brigadier general from September 6, 1942. On January 26, 1943, he became Deputy Chief Of Staff of the
European Theater of Operations, and then on February 15, 1943, he was appointed Deputy Theater Commander of the
North African Theater of Operations, and commander of the Communications Zone. He was promoted to
major general on March 18, 1943. He threw out the first ball in the
North African World Series on October 3, 3, 1943. When the
Allied forces suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the German general
Erwin Rommel in the
Battle of the Kasserine Pass, Hughes recommended Patton to Eisenhower for command in Africa. Patton went on to win victories over the German forces. Eisenhower considered Hughes one of his closest friends and confidants and Hughes' reports on the incredible shortcomings of the supply situation in North Africa, sent shock waves through Allied command. His reports upset Eisenhower's Chief of Staff, Major General
Walter Bedell Smith. Smith and Hughes had been "engaged in a power struggle" since the planning of
Operation Torch and their relationship was tense, Smith accused Hughes of "empire building", and the two clashed over trivial issues. For his services in the Mediterranean, Hughes was awarded the
Bronze Star Medal and the
Army Distinguished Service Medal. Hughes endeared himself to Eisenhower for his gift of procuring hard-to-find items such as Eisenhower's favorite whiskey, ''Director's Reserve.'' He was later appointed Inspector General of U.S. Forces in the European Theater before being called back to Washington, D.C., in February 1946, as Acting Chief of Ordnance. Hughes was named as the
17th Chief of Ordnance in June 1946. During his tenure, the normal peacetime activities, including research, development, storage, maintenance, and training, continued at higher levels than had existed prior to World War II. He improved the efficiency of the office through organizational improvements. The facilities at the Ballistic Research Laboratory at
Aberdeen Proving Ground were expanded, the Terminal Ballistics Laboratory was completed in 1949, and
White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico became an important installation for rocket and missile testing. Studies were made on the wartime German V-2 missile, and in July 1949,
Redstone Arsenal in Alabama was given the mission of conducting research, development, and testing of rockets, missiles, propellants, and related items. Construction of the
ENIAC computer was completed in 1946 and became operational at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1947. The seven manufacturing arsenals continued to play a major role in the development of the new designs in ordnance materiel and in the improvement of existing equipment. Hughes retired from the military in 1949 and settled in Washington, D.C.. He was appointed as the Director for Office of Energy and Utilities of the
National Security Resources Board. ==Decorations==