James K. Hawkins is an American politician from the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, Hawkins serves in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

, representing the 2nd Bristol District since 2018, which includes all but one precinct of

Attleboro Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 census, Attleboro had a population of 46,461. Attleboro is ...

Early life

Hawkins was born and raised in

Walpole, Massachusetts Walpole is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Walpole Town, as the Census refers to it, is located about south of downtown Boston and north of Providence, Rhode Island. The population of Walpole was 26,383 at the 2020 censu ...

. He moved to Attleboro and has lived there for over 35 years. He graduated from

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...

and then went on to earn an MBA from Providence College School of Business. Hawkins sold auto parts before getting his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

and working as a math teacher at Attleboro High School.

Political career

Hawkins won a special election on April 3, 2018, to succeed

Paul Heroux Paul Heroux (born 1976) is an American politician who is the Sheriff of Bristol County, Massachusetts. He previously served as Mayor of Attleboro, and a State Representative from the Second Bristol District, elected in 2012. Career State Represe ...

in the Massachusetts House. Hawkins bested Republican Julie Hall in the special election. Hawkins took 3,927 votes to Hall's 3,633. On Hawkins' first day in office, he filed an amendment to fund the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment (MCIEA), a collaboration of school officials and teachers finding ways to evaluate student performance that is better, more fair, less punitive, and less disruptive than what is currently used in

schools.

Personal life

Hawkins was a regular racer at the Seekonk Speedway, where he earned the nickname "The Hawk".

References

Living people Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Attleboro, Massachusetts Colby College alumni Providence College alumni 1949 births 21st-century American politicians {{Massachusetts-MARepresentative-stub

Early life

Political career

Personal life

See also

References