Robert B. Hawley
Encyclopedia
Robert Bradley Hawley was a U.S. Representative
from Texas
.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee
, Hawley attended the public schools and the Christian Brothers' College in Memphis. His father died when he was young and he assumed the duties of caring for his mother and siblings while still in his teens.
Hawley moved to Galveston, Texas
, in 1875 at the age of 21. He became a merchant, importer, and manufacturer in that bustling city for the next twenty years. He would later serve as president of the Galveston Board of Education from 1889 to 1893. Hawley also became active in Republican politics at a time when Texas was almost completely dominated by the Democratic party. He would be elected as the temporary chairman of the Republican State convention in San Antonio, Texas on September 4, 1890 and served as a delegate to several Republican National Conventions.
In 1896 one-term Democratic Congressman Miles Crowley
elected not to run for reelection. Hawley ran and was elected to the open seat as a Republican
to the Fifty-fifth Congress.
He would successfully run for reelection in 1898 for the Fifty-sixth Congress
. In each election Hawley triumphed with less than 50% of the vote due to the split between the Democratic and Populist parties. During his four years in congress he was the only Republican elected from Texas. He was in office when Galveston was destroyed by the powerful 1900 hurricane and decided not to seek reelection after the storm's devastation. He would be succeeded by Democrat George Burgess
.
Hawley later organized and became president of the Cuban-American Sugar Co. in 1906 and added to his fortune.
In 1921 he was living at 36 Gramercy Park
in New York City
when on the evening of November 27 he was taken ill with indigestion. He was administered medicine and fell asleep around 4 a.m., but was found dead in his bed four hours later on the morning on November 28, 1921. He would be interred in the Lakeview Cemetery of his adopted hometown of Galveston, Texas
.
The defunct Matagorda County town of Hawley, Texas was named in his honor.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Hawley attended the public schools and the Christian Brothers' College in Memphis. His father died when he was young and he assumed the duties of caring for his mother and siblings while still in his teens.
Hawley moved to Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, in 1875 at the age of 21. He became a merchant, importer, and manufacturer in that bustling city for the next twenty years. He would later serve as president of the Galveston Board of Education from 1889 to 1893. Hawley also became active in Republican politics at a time when Texas was almost completely dominated by the Democratic party. He would be elected as the temporary chairman of the Republican State convention in San Antonio, Texas on September 4, 1890 and served as a delegate to several Republican National Conventions.
In 1896 one-term Democratic Congressman Miles Crowley
Miles Crowley
Miles Crowley was a U.S. Representative from Texas.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Crowley attended the common schools.He was employed as a longshoreman.He moved to Galveston in the 1870s....
elected not to run for reelection. Hawley ran and was elected to the open seat as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the Fifty-fifth Congress.
55th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:* Republican: 206 * Democratic: 124* Populist: 22* Silver Republican: 3* Silver: 1* Independent Republican: 1TOTAL members: 357-Leadership:-Senate:* President: Garret Hobart * President pro tempore: William P...
He would successfully run for reelection in 1898 for the Fifty-sixth Congress
56th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Leadership :- Senate :* President: Garret Hobart , until November 21, 1899 , vacant thereafter.* President pro tempore: William P. Frye * Democratic Caucus Chairman: James K. Jones...
. In each election Hawley triumphed with less than 50% of the vote due to the split between the Democratic and Populist parties. During his four years in congress he was the only Republican elected from Texas. He was in office when Galveston was destroyed by the powerful 1900 hurricane and decided not to seek reelection after the storm's devastation. He would be succeeded by Democrat George Burgess
George Farmer Burgess
George Farmer Burgess was a U.S. Representative from Texas.-Biography:Born in Wharton, Texas, Burgess attended the common schools....
.
Hawley later organized and became president of the Cuban-American Sugar Co. in 1906 and added to his fortune.
In 1921 he was living at 36 Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
when on the evening of November 27 he was taken ill with indigestion. He was administered medicine and fell asleep around 4 a.m., but was found dead in his bed four hours later on the morning on November 28, 1921. He would be interred in the Lakeview Cemetery of his adopted hometown of Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
.
The defunct Matagorda County town of Hawley, Texas was named in his honor.