Thomas Edward McHugh, a justice on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, was born in Charleston on March 26, 1936. After graduating from West Virginia University in 1958, he served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant. After a four-year stint, he attended WVU College of Law, graduating in 1964.

McHugh was elected judge for Kanawha County Circuit Court in 1974, and was reelected in 1976. McHugh was elected to the Supreme Court in 1980 and was reelected to a second 12-year term in 1992. After retiring in 1997, he went into private practice in Charleston.

In 2008, McHugh was appointed to the Supreme Court to serve during the illness of Justice Joseph Albright. He was reappointed the next year for the same purpose. Following Albright's death on March 20, 2009, Chief Justice Brent Benjamin appointed him to serve in Albright's position until Governor Joe Manchin named a replacement. On April 8, 2009, Manchin appointed McHugh to the court to serve until the 2010 general election.

McHugh, a Democrat, defeated GOP challenger John Yoder in the general election and served out the remainder of Albright's term, which ended in 2012. He retired at the conclusion of the term. He and his wife, Judy, have four children.