Ramba uchinyora ndima iyi - Hughes akaberekwa musi waJanuary 8, 1853, paSolina pedyo neBowmanville mune yainzi Canada West panguva iyoyo. Akanga ari mwanakomana waJohn Hughes wokuTyrone, Ireland, naCaroline (Laughlin) Hughes, muCanada aibva kuvaHuguenots navaUlster Scots. Akadzidza muDurham County, Ontario uye akazoenda kuToronto Normal School uye University yeToronto. Muna 1866 akabatana ne45th West Durham Battalion of Infantry uye akashanda panguva yeFenian raids
muma1860 nema1870. Muhupenyu hwake hwose, Hughes akanga akabatanidzwa zvikuru mumamiriro ezvinhu, achienda kumisangano yose yekudzidzira, uye kutora pfuti nepfuti munguva yake yekusununguka kuti avandudze chinangwa chake. Ainyatsogona kupfura nepfuti, Hughes akanga achishingaira mumakirabhu epfuti uye pakupedzisira akava purezidhendi weDominion Rifle Association. Hughes aifarira kuzviona somunhu aifananidzira tsika dzechiVictorian dzokushanda zvakaoma, kuzviranga, simba uye kuva murume. Akareba, ane tsandanyama, uye ane mapendekete akapamhama, Hughes akabudirira mumitambo, achinyanya kuva ane tarenda pa lacrosse. Iye gare gare akataura, muBritish "Ndiani Ndiani", kuti ave "pachake akazvipira kuunganidza" mauto eCanada nokuda kwebasa mu"mishandirapamwe yeEgipita neSudanese, Hondo yeAfghan Frontier, uye Hondo yeTransvaal".