San
Joaquin County
Biographies
EARLE R. HAWLEY
Realizing the excellent
opportunities afforded for the improvement of the general postal service, Earle
R. Hawley, the efficient and capable postmaster of Stockton, California, has
established a closer contact to the public in order to humanize the operations of
the post office, this being in full accord with the ideas of the
Postmaster-General. For a considerable
length of time before entering the army, Mr. Hawley was a member of the staff
of the Stockton post office, both as clerk and carrier and learned the details
of the business from the ground up. In
the army he made a record as an executive and a leader, he was born in Stockton
on October 4, 1887 a son of James W. and Carrie (Yost) Hawley, the former a
native of Maine and the latter of Pennsylvania; his father sailed around the
Horn from Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 to California and located in Stockton;
he engaged in teaming to the southern mines in early days; later he engaged in
ranching in Stanislaus County. There
were three sons in the family: Marvin L.
is a rancher in the Farmington district; Earle R., of this review; and Walter,
residing in Stockton.
Earle R. began his education in the
grammar schools of Stockton and was graduated from the Stockton high school
with the class of 1907; he then entered the University of California and pursued
a course in mining engineering; in 1909 he entered the Stockton post office as
a clerk and carrier. He was appointed
postmaster of Stockton on June 4, 1920 by President Wilson, and on July 7, 1920
he entered upon his duties.
Mr. Hawley was one of the organizers
of Battery C, 1st California Field Artillery, which was organized in
Stockton December 14, 1912. Mr. Hawley
and one other man are the only original members of Battery C who were with that
unit at the close of the World War. When
the Mexican trouble broke out in the spring of 1916, Mr. Hawley was first
sergeant of Battery C and was stationed at Nogales, Arizona; after the trouble
was over he was discharged from active service and the day war was declared
with Germany, he enlisted for service and became first sergeant of Battery C;
on October 30, 1917 he was commissioned second lieutenant and assigned to
Battery F of the 143rd Field Artillery; he was promoted the next
day, October 31, 1917 to the rank of first lieutenant and took command of Battery
F on January 4, 1918 attached to the 40th Division and trained at
Camp Kearney; he went overseas with the 40th Division during August
of 1918 as first lieutenant of Battery F; he was appointed captain while in
training camp at De Souge, France, on October 13,
1918 and assigned to Battery C, his old battery. The Armistice was signed before the 40th
Division saw active service in France and Mr. Hawley returned to California
with the first contingent of that division during January of 1919, and was discharged
at the Presidio in San Francisco January 26, 1919. He immediately returned to Stockton and
assumed his duties in the post office and the next year was appointed
postmaster.
Mr. Hawley’s marriage united him
with Miss Olive Shannon, a native of California, and they are the parents of
two sons, Volney Richard and Robert Carroll. He is a member of Karl Ross Post of the
American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Fraternally he belongs to the Red Men, and is
a prominent member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1287-1288. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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