Richard Hawes

Richard Hawes Jr. was born on February 6, 1797, into the politically prominent Hawes family of Kentucky. His lineage included several U.S. Representatives, and his grandson, Harry B. Hawes, would later serve in the United States Senate. A lawyer by profession, Hawes initially aligned himself with the Whig Party, forming a close friendship with its founder, Henry Clay. However, as the Whig Party began to decline in the 1850s, he transitioned to the Democratic Party, which marked a cooling of his relationship with Clay.

As the Civil War erupted, Hawes found himself supporting Kentucky's doctrine of armed neutrality. However, when this neutrality was violated in September 1861, he fled to Virginia and enlisted as a brigade commissary under Confederate General Humphrey Marshall. Following the death of George W. Johnson at the Battle of Shiloh, Hawes was appointed as the Confederate governor of Kentucky, a position he accepted amidst the tumult of war.

During his tenure, Hawes traveled with Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee. In October 1862, he was inaugurated in Frankfort, although the ceremony was disrupted by Union forces led by General Don Carlos Buell. After the Confederates were driven from Kentucky following the Battle of Perryville, Hawes relocated to Virginia, where he continued to lead a Confederate government in exile and lobbied President Jefferson Davis for further military action in Kentucky.

After the war concluded, the Confederate government of Kentucky in exile was disbanded, prompting Hawes to return to his home in Paris, Kentucky. He swore an oath of allegiance to the Union and resumed his law practice. His commitment to public service continued as he was elected county judge of Bourbon County, a role he held until his death on May 25, 1877.