HAWKINS, FRANK LEE (1866–1954). Frank Lee Hawkins, judge, was born on November 18, 1866, at Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Benjamin Franklin and Mary (Pinnell) Hawkins. He was educated at Marvin College in Waxahachie, Southwestern University, and the University of Texas, where he received an LL.B. degree with honors in 1889. He practiced law privately until 1894, then served as assistant county attorney, county attorney, and county judge in Ellis County. He was subsequently district judge of the Fortieth Judicial District until he was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals by Governor Pat Morris Neff in 1921. Hawkins was elected to the court in the next election and reelected until he voluntarily retired in 1950, having served continuously on the court longer than any other man; he was presiding judge for his last eleven years on the bench. In 1889 Hawkins married Kate Briggs; they had three children. He died in Austin on September 26, 1954, and was buried in the State Cemetery in Austin.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Texas Bar Journal, September 1950, November 1954. Who's Who in America, 1950–51.
