Hughes was lawyer, governor of New York, Supreme Court Justice, presidential candidate in 1916, Secretary of State in the Harding and Coolidge administrations, a member of the World Court, and Chief Justice of the United States from 1930 until his retirement in 1941. His "Autobiographical Notes" portray him as no biography could and provide comment on almost a century of American history as seen by one who played a part in shaping its course.