[1][2] He was one of four children born to lawyer and aviator Geoffrey Forrest Hughes and his wife Margaret Eyre Sealy (née Vidal).

In 1960, he successfully defended Australian Consolidated Press, its editor-in-chief David McNicoll, and political journalist Alan Reid against a suit brought by union secretary Charlie Oliver.

[10] Hughes defeated the long-serving Labor member Les Haylen to unexpectedly win the seat of Parkes at the 1963 election.

He was "jostled" by protestors after a speech at the University of Sydney in July 1970 and subsequently abandoned his car, inadvertently causing over 300 police to be called out when the event's organisers could not locate him.

[16] At a speech to the Australian National University's Liberal Club in September 1970, he was interrupted by anti-war demonstrators and "grabbed a Vietcong flag from a student and tore it from its supporting pole".

[17] The previous month his home in Bellevue Hill had been invaded by anti-war demonstrators, resulting in eight students and two press photographers being arrested.

[22] Hughes quickly returned to his legal practice, appearing before the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory a few months after his sacking.

The Canberra Times reported that his bid for renomination was opposed by the conservative faction led by Jim Cameron, and that since leaving the ministry his comments "had established him as one of the principal spokesmen for the 'radical wing' of the Liberal Party".

[24] In November 1971, Hughes announced his decision to retire from federal politics at the next election, citing a desire to return to practising law full-time.

[27] In 1974 Hughes defended New South Wales premier Robert Askin against a defamation suit brought by Jack Mundey, the president of the Communist Party of Australia.

[30] In the same year he represented bookmaker Bill Waterhouse at the New South Wales Racing Appeals Tribunal following the Fine Cotton scandal.

[31] Hughes represented High Court judge Lionel Murphy in several different venues relating to his alleged attempts to pervert the course of justice.

[33] In 2002, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Hughes was still working full-time at the age of 78, as one of only two active barristers admitted to the New South Wales bar in the 1940s.