William Hughes, who broke racial boundaries in county government, dies at 90

By , Daily Memphian Published: May 17, 2022 2:34 PM CT

William “Bill” R. Hughes was one of the first Black Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies and the first African American superintendent of the Shelby County Penal Farm.

Topics

William Hughes Bill Morris Shelby County Sheriff's Office Shelby County Government
Julia Baker

Julia Baker

Julia Baker covers Memphis and Shelby County’s law enforcement agencies and is a member of The Daily Memphian’s public safety reporting team. A lifelong Memphian, Julia graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.


Comments

Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here