Father Edward Albert Hughes (August 28, 1918 - October 12, 1980) was a Roman Catholic priest who served as an assistant pastor from June 16, 1948 to June 18, 1960 at St. James Church in Mt. Rainier, Maryland. He also served as an exorcist.
He attempted his first exorcism in 1949 at the Georgetown University Hospital on a thirteen year old Lutheran boy, Robbie Mannheim, who was referred by Rev. Luther Miles Schulze, the boy's Lutheran pastor. The exorcism was considered unsuccessful as the boy broke out of his restraints and used a spring from the bed to attack Hughes. The boy cut Father Hughes' arm from his shoulder to his wrist with the spring and the exorcism was ended. Years later Hughes recalled that the temperature of the room decreased when the boy entered it and that the boy growled at him while speaking Latin. He also stated that his telephone went flying off his desk. It was believed that the boy became possessed after using a Ouija board. William Peter Blatty was inspired by a newspaper article about this case to write his novel The Exorcist.
In 1973, Father Hughes returned to St. James Church and became pastor until his death of a heart attack on October 12, 1980.
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