Isaac Roberts Hawkins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 7th district | |
| In office July 24, 1866 – March 3, 1871 | |
| Preceded by | Civil War |
| Succeeded by | Robert P. Caldwell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1818-05-16)May 16, 1818 |
| Died | August 12, 1880(1880-08-12) (aged 62) Huntingdon, Tennessee |
| Political party | Unconditional Union Republican |
| Spouse | Ellen Ott Hawkins |
| Children | Eugene, Samuel |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Union |
| Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1862–1865 |
| Rank |  Colonel Bvt.Brigadier General |
| Commands | 7th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | Mexican–American War American Civil War |
Isaac Roberts Hawkins (May 16, 1818 – August 12, 1880) was an American soldier,politician and a member of theUnited States House of Representatives forTennessee's 7th congressional district.
Hawkins was born on May 16, 1818, nearColumbia, Tennessee, inMaury County, to Samuel and Nancy Roberts Hawkins. Nancy was the daughter of Gen. Isaac Roberts and his wife Mary "Polly" Johnston Roberts and was the maternal granddaughter of Ann Robertson Johnston Cockrill, an early pioneer who was sister to James Robertson, a founder of Ft Nashborough (later Nashville). Samuel Hawkins' mother was Cassandra Roberts (Isaac Roberts' sister), which made Samuel and Nancy first cousins as well as spouses-not an uncommon practice at that time. Isaac moved with his parents toCarroll County in 1828 and attended the common schools. They lived on land that was part of a 1790 North Carolina land grant received by Gen. Roberts. Isaac engaged in agricultural pursuits, studied law, and was admitted to thebar in 1843. He commenced practice inHuntingdon, Tennessee, in Carroll County. He was married to Ellen Ott whose sister Justina married Isaac's first cousin Alvin, who later served as governor of Tennessee.
Having served as alieutenant during theMexican–American War, Hawkins then resumed the practice of law. A staunch Unionist, he was a delegate from Tennessee to a peace conference held inWashington, D.C., in 1861 in an effort to devise a means to prevent the impending war.[1] He was elected to the convention for the consideration of Federal relations. He was judge of the circuit court in 1862. He entered theUnion Army aslieutenant colonel of the7th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry in 1862. He was captured with his regiment atUnion City, Tennessee, in 1864 and imprisoned. He was exchanged in August 1864 and resumed active service, being in command of the Cavalry force in western Kentucky until the close of theCivil War. He was commissioned by GovernorWilliam Gannaway Brownlow as one of the chancellors of Tennessee in 1865 but declined to qualify.[2]
Upon the readmission of Tennessee to representation, he was elected as anUnconditional Unionist to the39th Congress and re-elected as aRepublican to the40th and41st, serving from December 4, 1865, to March 3, 1871.[3] He was a delegate to the1868 Republican National Convention.[4] During the Forty-first Congress, he was the chairman of theUnited States House Committee on Mileage.
Hawkins died in Huntingdon, Tennessee, on August 12, 1880 (age 62 years, 88 days). He isinterred at the Hawkins family burial ground near Huntingdon.[5]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Civil War | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTennessee's 7th congressional district 1866–1871 | Succeeded by |
