Arthur Howard Hughes was a professor of German who served as acting president twice; from 1943-1945 and 1951-1953. He began teaching at Trinity in 1935 as an Assistant Professor of German and served as Dean of the College from 1940.

Hughes' first term came after the sudden death of President Remsen Brinckerhoff Ogilby. Hughes' biggest challenge was the presence of the V-12 unit, a Navy training program, on campus. Hughes was allegedly so successful in his first acting term that many believed he would be appointed president for good, but President George Keith Funston '32 was appointed in 1944. Hughes went back to teaching German and being the Dean of the College.

When President Funston left Trinity in 1951, Hughes once again became acting president. At this point, he was many students and alumni's favorite for the next full president and the Trinity Tripod even advocated for his appointment even though he had already announced that he was not a candidate. Hughes used his second term to advocate for a higher religious presence on college campuses and still worked as a dean, professor, and statistician for the Registrar's Office during his presidency. During his second term, Hughes enacted multiple successful programs, including a Junior Advisory System in which juniors served as mentors to freshmen and a series of carillon concerts. Additionally, he established a language lab and recruited German university students to teach German courses at Trinity. This second term came to an end with the appointment of President Albert Charles Jacobs in 1953.