Benjamin Hawkins
Benjamin Hawkins (August 15, 1754 – June 6, 1816) was an American planter, statesman and a U.S. Indian agent. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a United States Senator from North Carolina, having grown up among the planter elite. Appointed by George Washington in 1796 as one of three commissioners to the Creeks, in 1801 President Jefferson named him "principal agent for Indian affairs south of the Ohio [River]", and was principal Indian agent to the Creek Indians.
Benjamin Hawkins | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from North Carolina | |
| In office November 27, 1789 – March 4, 1795 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Timothy Bloodworth |
| Member of the Congress of the Confederation | |
| In office 1781 – 1783 1787 | |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives | |
| In office 1778 – 1779 1784 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 15, 1754 Granville County, Province of North Carolina, British America |
| Died | June 6, 1816 (aged 61) Crawford County, Georgia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Roberta, Georgia, U.S. 32°40′0.61″N 84°5′45.73″W |
| Political party | Pro-Administration (1789–1791) Anti-Administration (1791–1795) |
| Relations | Philemon Hawkins II (father) Micajah T. Hawkins (nephew) William Hawkins (nephew) |
| Alma mater | College of New Jersey |
Hawkins established the Creek Agency and his plantation near present-day Roberta, Georgia, in what became Crawford County. He learned the Muscogee language, and had a Creek woman, Lavinia Downs, as common-law wife, who, in the Creek's matrilineal society, provided an entry into that world. He had seven children with her, although he resisted Creek pressure to marry her: 9 until near the end of his life. He wrote extensively about the Creek and other Southeast tribes: the Choctaw, Cherokee and Chickasaw. He eventually built a large complex using African slave labor, including mills, and raised a considerable quantity of cattle and hogs.