William Hawkins

Who was William Hawkins?

William Hawkins was the 17th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1811 to 1814.

Hawkins was born in his family home, called Pleasant Hill, in what is today Vance County, North Carolina. His father, Philemon Hawkins III, was a member of the North Carolina General Assembly. He studied law in North Carolina under Judge John Williams and in Philadelphia, and worked as an Indian agent under his uncle, Benjamin Hawkins, in Georgia before returning to North Carolina to practice law. In 1801, he was sent by Gov. James Turner to settle a dispute with the Tuscarora Indians.

In 1804, Hawkins was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons from Warren County he served a single term. In 1809, he was elected as a representative from Granville County; he served until 1811, and from 1810 to 1811, was Speaker of the House.

In December 1811, Hawkins was elected Governor of North Carolina by the General Assembly. He served the constitutional limit of three terms which coincided with the War of 1812; during the war, he supported the military efforts of the federal government and assisted in raising a volunteer militia of 7,000 troops.