Reginald A. Hawkins papers

Collection

Identifier: MS0125

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection documents the professional, political, and civil rights activities of Hawkins. Much of the collection is newspaper clippings.

Dates

Creation: 1954 - 1995
Creation: 1954 - 1987

Creator

Davis, Gregory (Person)
Hawkins, Reginald Armistice (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Biographical Note

Reginald Armistice Hawkins was born in Beaufort, N.C., on November 11, 1923 to Lorena Smith and Charles C. Hawkins. He was graduated from Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in 1948. After receiving a doctorate of dental surgery from Howard University in 1948, Hawkins practiced dentistry in Charlotte. During the Korean War, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army Dental Corps. He earned also bachelor (1956) and masters (1973) of divinity degrees from JCSU. Ordained a minister in the United Presbyterian Church, USA, he held the pastorate at Charlotte's H. O. Graham Metropoli¬tan Church from 1978 to 1985. JCSU conferred an honorary degree upon him in 1962 and inducted him into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. The first black candidate for governor in North Carolina, Hawkins unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in 1968 and in 1972. The long-time civil rights activist retired in 1987 and died in Charlotte on September 10, 2007. [For more information, see series 1, Memorabilia, and series 2 and 3.]

Extent

2 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Papers of a Charlotte dentist, minister, and civil rights activist, who was the first African-American to run for governor of North Carolina. Consists chiefly of clippings and correspondence documenting his involvement in the desegregation of schools, public accommodations, hospitals, the North Carolina Dental Society, and the Shrine Bowl. Also includes information on voter registration projects, gubernatorial campaign files (1968 and 1972), material concerning Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a dissertation about Hawkins by Dr. Gregory Davis.