Hawkins was born at Warnertown, South Australia the youngest son of William Clement Hawkins (ca1844 – 7 June 1893) and his wife Miriam Jane Hawkins, née Tucker, of "Willow Lodge", Napperby. His father died when he was 16 years old, and had to take much of the responsibility for running two farms totalling more than 1,700 acres (690 ha) in the Napperby region.
He gained experience working in a Portuguese Adelaide wool store, then a year with a livestock firm, and a year an Adelaide hardware firm. He was elected to the directorate of the Union in 1912, which he retained for 25 years, and became chairman in 1922, a position he held until his death. He travelled extensively, learning about dairying practices in New Zealand, marketing in England, farming in the United States and Canada and wheat marketing in the Baltic.
He was elected for the Liberal and Country League to the Legislative Council for the Northern district in 1933, and died shortly before the expiration of his term.
Hawkins was Federal and State director of The Company-operative Insurance Company of Aust., Limited., and Federal director of the Producers and Citizens Company-operative Assurance Company, Limited. He was also on the directorate of the South America Company-operative
Wheat Pools Limited., Cresco Fertilizers Limited. (Société Anonyme) and the Renovial Rubber Company, Limited.
He was on the Prince Alfred College committee, the Memorial Hospital committee, the Committee for Scriptural Instruction in State schools, the Wesley College Council, the board of the Epworth Book Depot, superintendent of the Spicer Memorial Sunday school, and a member and trustee of the Australian Chapman-Alexander Bible Institute.
He died at the Memorial Hospital after a long illness.
He was involved in the early days of the Farmers" Union, as a shareholder and member of the Portuguese Pirie and Warnertown committees. He was a supporter of the Methodist Church. An ex officio member of the Methodist Conference and Methodist Church executive committee.
