by

Rob Kinney

    On January 20, 1872, Cornelius Neil McHugh was born in the southern Wisconsin town of Gratiot. At sixteen, he moved to Iowa and found a job cutting broom corn in the fields near Cedar Rapids. Soon he was placed in the factory as an apprentice, where he learned the broom trade. In 1905 McHugh came to Cedar Falls to start his own broom factory. Two years later he formed the Cedar Falls Broom Company in a building on the Cedar River that had formerly been used as a wooden pump factory and an oatmeal mill. [1] McHugh also produced pickles in the factory he operated for almost forty years. Today, the restored Broom Company building serves as the Olde Broom Factory Restaurant, one of the more unique restaurants in the area.

    In 1931 McHugh was persuaded by friends to run for the office of councilman-at-large, a position that he easily won. After serving two terms on the council, he was elected mayor of Cedar Falls in 1935. His administration oversaw many improvements, including the annexation of Cedar Heights (1935) and the building of a hydro-electric plant in 1941. [2] This plant made it possible to harness water power from the river. McHugh also worked to improve the grounds of Greenwood Cemetery, created a modern police room and jail, supported public parks in Cedar Falls, and was instrumental in the building of a swimming pool. [3] His success in both business and politics made him a popular man in Cedar Falls. Mayor McHugh died at Satori Hospital of a heart attack on November 1, 1944. He still held the office of mayor at the time of his death. 

Chehock, Margaret McHugh. Mayor C. N. McHugh: His Love Affair With Cedar Falls. Cedar Falls: Cedar Falls Historical Society, 1990. 

"Mayor McHugh Dead at Age 72." Waterloo Courier, Nov. 2, 1944, A: 3.