History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/Hawkins Taylor
HAWKINS TAYLOR, one of the earliest pioneer lawmakers of Iowa, was born in Barren County, Kentucky, November 11, 1811. He came to the “Black Hawk Purchase” in 1836 and located at West Point in Lee County. When the Territory of Iowa was created in 1838 Mr. Taylor was elected to the House of the First Legislative Assembly. He was one of the leaders in driving the Mormons from the city of Nauvoo and arrested Hyram, the brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith. In 1857 Mr. Taylor was mayor of the city of Keokuk. In 1860 he was a delegate to the National Republican Convention which nominated Abraham Lincoln for President. In 1863 he was appointed Post-Office Inspector of Kansas where he served two years. In 1868 he removed to Washington, D. C., which became his home. He was a frequent contributor to the historical publications of Iowa, having an intimate knowledge of men and events of the early pioneer period. He died on the 15th of November, 1893.