Pugh was born on Turk's Island (Caicos group), part of the British West Indies as son of a Wesleyan minister.

After being educated at Old Kingswood School, near Bristol, and at Wesley College, Taunton, he served a short apprenticeship as a printer, and then joined the "Southern Times" at Weymouth.

Mr. Pugh was closely identified with the movement for obtaining the separation of Queensland from New South Wales, and from 1857 to 1859 acted as secretary of the committee.

An election taking place in the following year, Mr. Pugh again secured the confidence of the electors, but almost immediately, thereafter he retired from Parliamentary life.

He afterwards filled similar positions at Rockhampton, Warwick, Bundaberg, and Beenleigh, and latterly at Nanango, Mr. Pugh, at the time of his death, was a patient in a private hospital at Toowoomba.