From our archives, 100 years ago

A large photo of Spokane’s high-profile visitor filled much of the front page: Republican presidential candidate Charles Evans Hughes.

“Citizens Extend Ardent Welcome to Charles Evans Hughes,” shouted the headline. Hughes was visiting Spokane on a two day campaign swing, but he clearly considered the first day a Sunday vacation from the rigors of the trail.

The devout Hughes attended church twice – once in the morning at the First Baptist Church and once in the evening at the First Methodist Church.

In between, he went on a driving tour through “the beauty spots of the city,” including Browne’s Addition, Rockwood, Cliff Park and the Spokane Country Club.

From Cliff Park, Hughes “praised the sense of rest that the big open spaces gave him in contrast to the sense of oppression in crowded New York.”

He was accompanied by Mrs. Hughes, described as “modest but cordial,” who “won the hearts of all who met her.”

The couple took their meals privately in their rooms at the Davenport Hotel. Hughes spoke “in especially complimentary terms of the Davenport Hotel.”

“The day was spent as quietly as possible,” said the paper.

His schedule the next day, a Monday, promised to be much busier. The agenda included an auto parade through downtown, a trip to Coeur d’Alene for a speech at the City Park, a speech to a women’s meeting at the Auditorium Theater, and a speech at Spokane’s outdoor stadium.