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Lemuel Hawkins (October 2, 1895 – August 10, 1934) was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball. He played for the Kansas City Monarchs, Chicago Giants[2] and Chicago American Giants from 1921 to 1928. He was 5'10" and weighed 185 pounds.[3]

Lemuel Hawkins
Hawkins at the 1924 Colored World Series
First baseman
Born: (1895-10-02)October 2, 1895 Macon, Georgia
Died: August 10, 1934(1934-08-10) (aged 38) Chicago, Illinois
Batted: Left Threw: Left
debut
1921, for the Kansas City Monarchs
Last appearance
1928, for the Chicago American Giants
Negro National League statistics
Batting average	.265
Home runs	3
Runs scored	268
Teams
25th Infantry Wreckers (1916) [1] Chicago Giants (1921) Kansas City Monarchs (1921–1927)[2] Chicago American Giants (1928)
Career highlights and awards
Negro League World Series champion (1924)

Early life

Hawkins was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1895.[3] He served in World War I and was also the first baseman for the successful 25th Infantry Wreckers baseball team posted at Schofield Barracks at Wahiawa, Hawaii [4] and Ft. Huachuca, Arizona. He, along with teammates Oscar Johnson, Dobie Moore, Bullet Rogan, and Bob Fagin, joined the Kansas City Monarchs in the early 1920s.[5][6][7][8]

Career

Hawkins was the Monarchs' everyday first baseman from 1921 to 1927 and played for the Monarchs team which won the 1924 Colored World Series.[9][10] According to George Sweatt, Hawkins and teammate Bill "Plunk" Drake were good friends. "[They] were the craziest guys," Sweatt recalled. "When we'd go to a different town, they'd just walk through the halls all night, fooling around. That's all they did!"[11] Between the 1923 and 1924 baseball seasons, it was reported that Hawkins spent the winter driving a taxicab.[12]

Hawkins played for the Chicago American Giants in 1928. He finished his career in the Negro National League with a .265 batting average, three home runs, and 268 runs scored in 2,126 plate appearances.[3]

Later life and legacy

In July 1931, Hawkins was with three other men in a car when they were searched by police in connection with a holdup. One of the other men pulled a gun and was shot to death by the officers, and Hawkins was held on an automobile theft charge.[13][14]

In August 1934, Hawkins and a partner attempted to hold up a beer truck. A scuffle took place, and Hawkins was accidentally shot to death by his partner.[8]

Hawkins is one of four Negro league baseball players who were honored with plaques at Luther Williams Field in Macon in 2016.[15]

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference and Seamheads

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