Augustus F. Hawkins

Augustus Freeman "Gus" Hawkins (born August 31, 1907 in Shreveport , Louisiana , † November 10, 2007 in Bethesda , Maryland ) was an American politician . Between 1963 and 1991 he represented the state of California in the US House of Representatives .

Career

In 1918 Augustus Hawkins moved with his parents to Los Angeles , where he attended public schools; In 1926 he graduated from Jefferson High School . He then studied until 1931, first at the University of California in Los Angeles and then until 1932 at the University of Southern California . From 1941 he worked in the real estate industry. At the same time he began a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . In 1940, 1944 and 1960 he was a delegate to the respective Democratic National Conventions , at which Franklin D. Roosevelt and later John F. Kennedy were nominated as presidential candidates. Hawkins supported Upton Sinclair in the 1934 gubernatorial election. In 1935 Hawkins was elected to the California State Assembly after he had been able to prevail against Frederick Roberts . He was a member of the Assembly until 1962.

In the 1962 congressional election , Hawkins was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 21st constituency of California , where he succeeded Edgar W. Hiestand on January 3, 1963 . After 13 re-elections, he was able to complete a total of 14 legislative terms in Congress by January 3, 1991 . Since 1975 he represented the 29th district of his state there. Hawkins was the first African American to serve in the US House of Representatives for the state of California. Among other things, he advocated civil rights laws and better labor laws. Between 1981 and 1984 he was Chairman of the Committee on House Administration ; from 1984 to 1991 he headed the Committee on Labor and Education . He was also temporarily chairman of the Joint Committee on Printing and the Joint Committee on the Library . Hawkins' time as a congressman included the Vietnam War and the Watergate affair as well as the final phase of the civil rights movement . During his long career as a MP, including his tenure in the California Parliament, he brought over 300 legislative proposals to each chamber.

In 1990 Augustus Hawkins renounced a new congressional candidacy. After the end of his time in the US House of Representatives, he withdrew into retirement, which he spent first in Los Angeles and then in the federal capital Washington. He died on November 10, 2007 in Bethesda at the age of 100. Until then, he was the oldest surviving former congressman.

Web links

Augustus F. Hawkins in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

Augustus F. Hawkins in the database of Find a Grave (English)

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b Robert Lee Johanson, Notable Southern Californians in Black History , The History Press, Charlston, ISBN 9781626195813 , p. 79.

personal data
SURNAME	Hawkins, Augustus F.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Hawkins, Augustus Freeman; Hawkins, Gus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	August 31, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH	Shreveport , Louisiana
DATE OF DEATH	November 10, 2007
Place of death	Bethesda , Maryland

[Notable_Southern_Californians-1] A ^b Robert Lee Johanson, Notable Southern Californians in Black History , The History Press, Charlston, ISBN 9781626195813 , p. 79.