James W. Hawkes (1853–1932), was an American minister, a missionary in

Qajar Iran Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

, and a founder of a school.

Biography

James W. Hawkes was born in 1853 in Montezuma, Parke County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. He spent his formative years in nearby Rockville, Indiana. Hawkes spent two years at

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cur ...

before transferring to

Princeton College Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

, which granted him his undergraduate degree; he attended Union Theological Seminary in New York City in order to be trained as a missionary. In the early 1880s Hawkes began his career as a missionary in Persia. He was married in 1884 to Sarah "Belle" Belknap (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Sherwood; 1854–1819), and they had a son a year later, which died shortly after birth. His wife managed the local girls schools, including the Faith Hubbard School for Girls in Hamadan, and later the Hamadan Jewish Girls' School. While doing missionary work in Persia, Hawkes’ wife died in 1919 from

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

. After his wife's death, Hawkes remained abroad and undertook the writing of the Persian Bible Dictionary (in Persian ) and revisions of the Persian language Bible. Hawkes also founded the American School for Boys in

Hamadan Hamadan () or Hamedan ( fa, همدان, ''Hamedān'') ( Old Persian: Haŋgmetana, Ecbatana) is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran. At the 2019 census, its population was 783,300 in 230,775 families. The majority of people living in Ha ...

, Persia where he spent most of his missionary years. He died at the age of seventy-nine.James W. Hawkes Collection
Rare Books and Manuscripts Division, Indiana State Library.

References

External links

from

Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau The Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau is a public library building, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the largest public library in the state of Indiana, housing over 60,000 manuscripts. Established in 1934, the library has gather ...

Belle Hawkes Papers
from Pearl Digital Collections,

Presbyterian Historical Society The Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS) is the oldest continuous denominational historical society in the United States.Smylie, James H. 1996. ''A Brief History of the Presbyterians.'' Louisville, Kentucky: Geneva Press. Its mission is to col ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkes, James American Christian missionaries 1853 births 1932 deaths People from Parke County, Indiana Christian missionaries in Iran Wabash College alumni Princeton University alumni Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni