Orlando Hubbs

Orlando Hubbs (February 18, 1840 – December 5, 1930) was an American carriage builder, ship’s joiner, and Republican politician who served one term in the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina between 1881 and 1883. He was born in Commack, New York, on Long Island, where he attended local schools. In 1856 he moved to nearby Northport, New York, and learned the trade of a carriage and wagon builder, acquiring the mechanical skills that would shape his early working life.

During the American Civil War, Hubbs was employed as a ship’s joiner at Hunters Point, New York, contributing to maritime construction and repair work in support of wartime needs. After the war, in 1865, he moved south to New Bern, North Carolina. There he engaged in mercantile pursuits and quickly became active in politics, taking a prominent role in organizing the Republican Party in North Carolina during the Reconstruction era. His efforts helped establish the party’s presence in a state undergoing profound political and social transformation following the Confederacy’s defeat.

Hubbs’s political career in North Carolina advanced at the local level before he entered national office. From 1871 to 1881 he was elected sheriff of Craven County, a position that placed him at the center of law enforcement and local administration during a turbulent decade marked by shifting racial and political dynamics. His tenure as sheriff enhanced his visibility and influence within the Republican Party and among his constituents, setting the stage for his candidacy for Congress.

In the 1880 election cycle, Hubbs sought a seat in the United States House of Representatives. His nomination was contested within the Republican Party, as the GOP district convention was divided over his candidacy. Former congressman Curtis H. Brogden emerged as an outspoken opponent, and the intraparty conflict attracted considerable attention. Despite this factionalism, the controversy subsided during the general election campaign, and Hubbs, running as a Republican from North Carolina, defeated Democratic white supremacist William H. Kitchin by approximately fifteen percentage points. He thus entered the Forty-seventh Congress (March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883) as one of several northern-born Republicans in the South often labeled “carpetbaggers.”

During his single term in Congress, Hubbs contributed to the legislative process at a time of significant national debate over civil service reform and the legacy of Reconstruction. He worked quietly on patronage matters for political supporters and pursued issues important to his district, reflecting both the expectations of his party and the needs of his constituents. In early January 1883, he was one of only seven House Republicans to vote against the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, a measure sponsored by Ohio Democrat George H. Pendleton that aimed to replace the traditional spoils system with a merit-based civil service. Many Radical Republicans had long used patronage to secure and protect civil rights for Black citizens in the post–Civil War years, and Hubbs’s vote placed him among the minority of Stalwart-aligned Republicans who resisted the shift to a reformed civil service, even as most of his faction, under intense pressure following the assassination of President James A. Garfield, ultimately supported the legislation.

Hubbs sought reelection in the 1882 United States House of Representatives elections, but again encountered serious factionalism within the Republican Party. The district convention descended into disorder and confusion, with both Hubbs and attorney James E. O’Hara claiming to be the legitimate Republican nominee. Recognizing the damaging effects of the schism, Hubbs withdrew from the race in mid-October 1882. O’Hara went on to win the general election and succeeded Hubbs in Congress. Although his service in the House lasted only one term, Hubbs participated in the democratic process during a pivotal period in American political development, representing his North Carolina constituents amid the waning years of Reconstruction-era influence.

After leaving Congress, Hubbs remained active in Republican politics. During the 1884 United States presidential election, he served as a presidential elector for the Republican nominee James G. Blaine, who was defeated in the general election by Democrat Grover Cleveland. Hubbs later returned to his native state; in 1890 he moved back to New York and settled in Central Islip on Long Island’s South Shore. There he resumed public service at the state level, reflecting a continued commitment to political life beyond his North Carolina career.

In New York, Hubbs served multiple terms in the state legislature. He was a member of the New York State Assembly representing Suffolk County’s 2nd District in 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, and 1908, participating in state lawmaking over six consecutive sessions. He then advanced to the New York State Senate, where he served in 1909 and 1910. His legislative work in Albany extended his political career into the early twentieth century and underscored his long-standing affiliation with the Republican Party in both the South and the North.

In his later years, Hubbs resided in Smithtown, New York. He lived there until his death on December 5, 1930. He was interred in Commack Cemetery in his hometown of Commack, New York, bringing his life full circle to the Long Island community where he had been born ninety years earlier.