John Baldwin Hawley (February 9, 1831 – May 24, 1895) was an American government official. Born in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and raised in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, Hawley served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1869 to 1875.

Early life

Hawley was born in

Hawleyville, Connecticut Hawleyville is an unincorporated community in Fairfield County in the town of Newtown, Connecticut, about 1 mile outside the borough of Newtown. It was listed as a census-designated place prior to the 2020 census. History Hawleyville is named ...

. He moved with his parents to

Carthage, Illinois Carthage is a city and the county seat of Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,490 as of the 2020 census, Carthage is best known for being the site of the 1844 death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint mov ...

in 1833. While in Carthage, Hawley attended public school and was later accepted to Jacksonville College in

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the ...

. Hawley studied law, and was subsequently admitted to the Illinois bar. He began his legal practice in

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...

Career

Hawley was elected Illinois

state attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

in 1856 and remained in the position for four years. Hawley enlisted in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and served as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of Company H, Forty-Fifth Regiment of Illinois' Volunteer Infantry. He was severely wounded at Fort Donelson. A close friend of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, he was appointed postmaster of

, in 1865, and was removed the year following by President Johnson. Hawley was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the forty-first, forty-second, and forty-third Congress. He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings and the Committee on Claims. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1874. From December 6, 1877, until April 1880, when he resigned, Hawley served as the

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury A United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury is one of several positions in the United States Department of the Treasury, serving under the United States Secretary of the Treasury. History According to U.S. statute, there are eight Assista ...

Later career

He moved to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, in 1880 and resumed the practice of law. After moving to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

in 1886, Hawley served as an attorney for the western branches of the Northwestern Railroad Company.

Personal life

In 1854, Hawley was married to Mary Fuller Symonds (1835–1908). Together, they were the parents of three daughters Hattie, Clara, and Mary Hawley. He died in

Hot Springs, South Dakota Hot Springs (Lakota: ''mni kȟáta''; "hot water") is a city in and county seat of Fall River County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 3,395. In addition, neighboring Oglala Lakota County contracts the ...

on May 24, 1895. Hawley was interred in Prospect Hill Cemetery,

References

External links

*
John Hawley letter to J. M. Currie, January 14, 1878
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawley, John B. 1831 births 1895 deaths Burials at Prospect Hill Cemetery (North Omaha, Nebraska) Union Army officers Politicians from Rock Island, Illinois Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 19th-century American politicians Military personnel from Illinois