David H. Hugel Papers

David H. Hugel (b. 1942 -) earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1973 and Master of Science in Criminal Justice in 1977 from the University of Baltimore. A Vietnam War veteran, Hugel served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1960 to 1964 as a photographer. Marine Corps Commandant, Gen. Wallace M. Greene, Jr., recognized Hugel for his photographic coverage of early Marine Corps operations in Vietnam. His photographs have appeared in several books about the Vietnam War, and are on display in the National Museum of the Marine Corps. After his retirement, Mr. Hugel authored numerous articles and other writings on veterans and military history, and he continued his passion for photography throughout his life.

Hugel is a nationally recognized public and highway safety authority who specialized in transportation regulatory and legal issues. After graduating from the University of Baltimore Hugel held in a number of notable positions throughout his legal career including serving as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore County (1974-1977), as Assistant Counsel for Northwestern University’s Traffic Institute (1977-1978), as State’s Attorney’s Coordinator in the Office of the Maryland Attorney General (1978-1987), as Assistant to Executive Director of Government Affairs American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) (1987-1995), as a Consultant in Transportation and Motor Vehicle Safety (1995-2003), as the Administrator of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (2003-2006), and most recently as the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the US Department of Transportation (2006-2009). He also taught several criminal justice courses at the University of Baltimore (1974-1976).

During the 1960s, Hugel worked in public relations and as a radio and television news reporter for WBAL Radio & TV and WJZ-TV in Baltimore. As a cameraman and on-the-street reporter, he covered a variety of assignments. Hugel reported on state, local, and national politics including the activities of Maryland Governors J. Millard Tawes and Spiro T. Agnew, and personal appearances and speeches from national figures such as President Lyndon Johnson. He also reported and worked as a cameraman in Baltimore during the 1968 uprising following the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Following his time as a news reporter, Hugel worked in public relations with the Baltimore Regional Chapter of the American Red Cross and with the United Way of Central Maryland in 1968. He then volunteered in public relations for the Maryland Nixon-Agnew campaign. After the election he was appointed as Director of Public Relations for the Maryland Inaugural Activities Committee by Vice President-elect Agnew.

Hugel is active in Republican politics and veterans’ organizations and activities in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. area. Since his retirement from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2009, Mr. Hugel began a new career as a freelance writer. Since then, his articles have appeared in the National Archive and Records Administrations’ quarterly journal Prologue, VFW, American Legion, Semper Fi, and Leatherneck magazines on a variety of military history based topics.

Information for this historical note came from materials in the collection.