History of Scotland County North Carolina United States of America

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Joseph Roswell Hawley, senator, was born in Stewartsville, N.C., Oct. 31, 1826; son of the Rev. Francis and Mary (McLeod) Hawley. His father, a Baptist minister, returned to Connecticut, his native state, in 1837, and in 1842 removed to Cazenovia, N.Y. Joseph prepared for college at the Hartford high school and at the seminary in Cazenovia and was graduated at Hamilton college A.B., 1847, A.M., 1850. He taught school, studied law and was admitted to practice in 1850 in Hartford, Conn. He entered political life as a Free Soil Democrat, opposed the Know-Nothing party, and called the first meeting assembled in Connecticut for the organization of the Republican party, in his office, Feb. 4, 1856. He canvassed the northern states for three months in behalf of Fr?mont and Dayton in 1856. He edited the Charter Oak, an abolition journal, 1852-56, and in 1857 abandoned the law for journalism and assumed the editorship of the Hartford Evening Press, in which was merged the Charter Oak, in partnership with William Faxon. He helped to recruit the first company in the 1st Connecticut volunteers, was commissioned 1st lieutenant and was its captain in the first battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861. At the end of three months' service he returned home with the regiment and helped to recruit the 7th Connecticut volunteers for three years' service, and was its lieutenant-colonel. The regiment was with the Port Royal, S.C., expedition and the first to land on South Carolina soil. It engaged in the four months' siege of Fort Pulaski and garrisoned the fort on its surrender. He succeeded Col. Alfred H. Terry to the command of the regiment and led it in the battles of James Island and Pocotaligo, and in the Florida expedition. He commanded the port of Fernandina, January, 1863, and made an unsuccessful attempt to capture Charleston in April of that year. He commanded a brigade in the siege of Charleston and the capture of Fort Wagner, and in February, 1864, his brigade in the division of Gen. Truman Seymour took part in the disastrous battle of Olustee, Fla. He commanded a brigade in the division of Gen. A. H. Terry, 10th corps, army of the James, 1864, and was present at the battles of Drewry's Bluff, Deep Run and around Bermuda Hundred. He commanded a division in the battle of Newmarket Road and took part in the siege of Petersburg. He was promoted brigadier-general of volunteers in September, 1864, and in January, 1865, when General Terry was sent to lead the operations against Fort Fisher, N.C., General Hawley succeeded to the command of the division, and on General Terry's return he became his chief-of-staff. He commanded the district of southeastern North Carolina as military governor, with headquarters at Wilmington, Feb. 22 to June, 1865, was chief of staff to General Terry, in command of the department of Virginia, with headquarters at Richmond till October, 1865, when he returned to Connecticut. He was brevetted major-general of volunteers and mustered out of the service, Jan. 15, 1866. He was elected governor of Connecticut in 1866 and was defeated for re-election in 1867. He consolidated the Press with the Courant and edited the Courant in the interest of the Republican party. He was president of the Republican national convention of 1868; secretary of the committee on resolutions in 1872; and chairman of the committee on resolutions in 1876. He was a representative in the 42d congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Julius L. Strong and was re-elected to the 43d congress, serving 1872-75. He was defeated as a candidate for representative in the 44th and 45th congresses, but was elected to the 46th congress, serving 1879-81. He was president of the U.S. centennial commission, 1873-77, and gave two years' service in promoting the exposition at Philadelphia, 1875-76. He was elected a U.S. senator in 1881 by a unanimous vote of his party and was re-elected in 1887, 1893 and 1899. In the senate he was chairman of the committee on military affairs and a member of the committees on coast defences, interoceanic canals, coast and insular survey railroads, and the select committee on industrial expositions. In the Republican national convention of 1884 he was a candidate for the nomination for President of the United States and received the unanimous vote of the delegates from Connecticut on every ballot. He was elected a member of the American historical society and of other learned societies. He became a trustee of Hamilton college in 1876, and received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Hamilton in 1876, from Yale in 1886 and from Trinity in 1894. He is the author of The Battle of Olustee in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (1884-88).

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Scotland County North Carolina

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