Boise County ID Archives Biographies.....Hawley, James H. 1847 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 November 18, 2008, 4:27 am

Author: S. J. Clarke (Publisher, 1920)

HON. JAMES H. HAWLEY, Idaho pioneer in many parts of the state, a distinguished
member of the bar, governor from 1910 to 1912, his record has ever been such as
has reflected credit and honor upon the state that has honored him. Born in
Dubuque, Iowa, January 17, 1847, he is a son of Thomas and Annie (Carr) Hawley,
who were natives of Brooklyn and of Cooperstown, New York, respectively. In the
paternal line he comes of English ancestry with an Irish strain, while on the
distaff side he is of Irish, Holland and English lineage. One of his
great-grandfathers in the maternal line was a soldier of the war of the
Revolution, while his grandfather was a soldier of the War of 1812. Mr. Hawley's
mother died when he was an infant, and his father went to California in 1849,
leaving the boy with relatives. His father resided in California until 1856,
when he removed to Texas and lived there until his death a number of years later.

   James H. Hawley acquired a common and high school education in Dubuque, Iowa,
being there graduated with the class of 1861. He became a resident of Idaho in
1862 and in October, 1864, left Placerville, Boise county, for California to
pursue a college course, and was a student in the City College of San Francisco
for three years, taking a scientific course. In the meantime he had engaged in
mining and prospecting in Idaho from April, 1862, until October, 1864, save for
the winter of 1863-4, when he acted as agent and distributor at Placerville,
Idaho, for the Boise News, the first paper published in the state. While
pursuing his college course in San Francisco he also read law under the
direction of the firm of Sharpstien & Hastings of that city, having previously
familiarized himself to some extent with law principles before going to San
Francisco. Following his return to Idaho in 1868 he resumed mining but
incidentally continued his law reading and was admitted to the supreme court of
Idaho on the 14th of February, 1871. Mr. Hawley has pioneered in every part of
the state. He was among the first to reach nearly all of the placer camps and
was identified with mines and their operation in many sections of Idaho in early
times. Since becoming a member of the bar he has practiced law throughout the
state, devoting most of his efforts to mining, irrigation and criminal law; has
had an extensive practice in all these lines; and has the reputation of having
tried more murder cases than any other member of the bar in the United States.
Soon after his admission he was appointed deputy district attorney for the
second district of Idaho and attended to the duties of that office in the
western part of Boise county in connection with the mining enterprises in which
he was engaged. In 1878 he removed to Idaho City and since that time has
practiced law exclusive of other business. He has been interested in a great
many mining enterprises in Idaho and other western states and has also been
interested in several townsites and additions to townsites and various other
business activities in which he has made financial investment, but the practice
of law has been his real life work. He was one of the promoters, became a member
of the board of directors and the vice president of the Bank of Commerce of
Burley, Idaho, so continuing in 1909 and 1910. He was chosen president of the
Beet Growers Sugar Company of Rigby, Idaho, and has been connected with several
other matters quasi-public in character.

   In addition to the usual experiences of pioneers in the Indian fighting of
early days in Idaho, Governor Hawley was second lieutenant of a mounted company
in the service of the state, organized in the Nez Perce war, but was not
actually engaged in the hostilities. He was also commander of a company in the
Bannock war but saw very little actual service.

   In politics Governor Hawley has always been a supporter of the democratic
party. He made his first campaign for the party in 1870 and has been active in
every political campaign in Idaho since that time, stumping the state on each
occasion save in 1918, when there was no speaking campaign on account of
influenza. Also on that occasion he refused to support the major part of the
democratic state ticket because it was nominated by the Non-Partisan League
followers who had taken possession of the party. He has been elected to attend
five national conventions of the democratic party and has attended all
congressional and state conventions of the party since 1870. He was elected a
member of the lower house of the Idaho legislature in 1870 and in 1872 served as
chief clerk in the house of representatives. In 1874 he was a member of the
state senate and in 1876 was made chief clerk of the upper house. In the same
year he was elected county commissioner of Boise county and in 1878 was elected
district attorney of the second judicial district of Idaho, being reelected to
that position in 1880, and was compelled to attend to most of the criminal work
of the territory. In 1884 he was a candidate for delegate to congress on the
democratic ticket but was defeated by one vote at the convention. In 1885 he was
United States district attorney for the district of Idaho and occupied that
position for four years. In 1889 he was the democratic candidate for delegate to
congress but was defeated by a few votes by the Hon. Fred L. Dubois. In 1902 his
fellow townsmen elected him mayor of Boise, in which position he served for two
years, and in 1910 he was elected governor of Idaho, filling the office of chief
executive of the state for two years. In 1912 he was defeated for a second term
as governor by less than one thousand votes by the Hon. John M. Haines. He was
several times selected as candidate for the United States senate by the
democrats in the legislature and in 1914 was democratic candidate before the
people for the United States senate, being defeated by J. H. Brady. Since
leaving the office of governor he has occupied no public position save in
connection with the war activities. He had charge of the first Red Cross drive
in Idaho and was state director of War Savings Stamps drives and engaged in
several other matters of that kind. Upon the conclusion of his term as governor
he again resumed the private practice of his profession, in which he is actively
engaged as a member of the firm of Hawley & Hawley, having an extensive
clientage throughout southern Idaho. He was selected by the state authorities in
1906 to manage in behalf of the state the prosecution growing out of the
assassination of Governor Steunenberg, his chief associate in these cases ;being
the present Senator Borah. For the past forty years he has been connected with
nearly all the important water litigation in Idaho and has done much to
formulate and settle the law on this important subject. In this matter, as upon
other subjects to which his attention has been directed in the courts, he has
sought not only to win the case being tried but also to better conditions in the
future. Since his admission to practice he has always occupied a commanding
position at the bar and has twice been president of the State Bar Association of
Idaho.

   On the 4th of July, 1875, at Quartzburg, Boise county, Idaho, Governor Hawley
was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Bullock, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
William Bullock, who were pioneers of Idaho, arriving in Boise county in the
early '60s and residing there throughout the period of early development in the
state. Mrs. Hawley was born in New York city, and passed away in Boise in 1916.
At the time of their marriage they took up their residence at Quartzburg but in
1878 removed to Idaho City, then the county seat, following Governor Hawley's
election as district attorney for the second district. In 1884 a further removal
was made to Hailey and from that city to Boise in 1886. Mrs. Hawley was a member
of the Catholic church and their children were reared in that faith and are now
communicants of that church. The eldest son, Edgar T. Hawley, married Jessie
Williams, of Spokane. Jess B., who is now practicing law in partnership with his
father, married Genevieve Smith, of Boise. Emma C. became the wife of Reilley
Atkinson, of Boise. Elizabeth is the wife of E. W. Tucker, of Boise. James H.,
Jr., married Miss Mary Dunn, of Portland, Oregon. Harry R., the youngest of the
family, is now a student in the George Washington University at Washington, D.
C. The other children are all residents of Boise. Governor Hawley now has eight
living grandchildren, four being the children of Mr. and Mrs. Jess B. Hawley,
three the children of Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson, while Mr. and Mrs. Tucker have one
child. That patriotism has ever been a marked characteristic of the family is
indicated in the fact that the eldest son, Edgar T. Hawley, served in the
Philippines during the Spanish-American war as lieutenant of the First Idaho
Regiment and became a captain in the aviation service of the World war. The
second son, Jess B. Hawley, was prominently identified with the war work in
Idaho and the third son, James H., Jr., was a first lieutenant of infantry in
the conflict with Germany, while the youngest son, Harry R. Hawley, was a
sergeant in the field hospital service. The sons had an inspiring example in the
record of their father, whose patriotism and loyal support of the country was
manifested not only in the early days of Indian fighting but throughout his
entire career in his unfaltering support of all those interests which have had
to do with the welfare of the commonwealth.

   Governor Hawley is a well known representative of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Fraternal order of Eagles and the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He was exalted ruler of Boise Lodge,
No. 310, B. P. O. E., in 1902 and 1903 and has taken a prominent part in the
work of the organization since that time. He is also a past grand of the Odd
Fellows lodge and has membership in the University, Country, Commercial and
Boise Rotary Clubs of Boise and in the Rocky Mountain Club of New York city. By
reason of his long connection with the state, his active participation in the
public life of Idaho and in many of the most important business enterprises of
the state for many years, Governor Alexander when called upon by the managers of
the great San Francisco Exposition to name the foremost citizen of Idaho,
unhesitatingly selected Governor Hawley for that honor.


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IDAHO

DELUXE SUPPLEMENT

CHICAGO
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1920


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