Black Mayors: Jeffery Hawkins

Jeffery Hawkins was known as the unofficial mayor of Little Rock’s East End black community for over five decades. Hailing from Ashley County, Arkansas, Hawkins moved to Little Rock at the age of 18 in 1923. In 1949, Hawkins formed the East End Civic League to lobby white politicians for the improvement of street lighting, roads and pavements. In 1964, Hawkins became one of the first black employees of the city when he was hired as a building inspector. Later, he was hired by Pulaski County to serve as a deputy tax collector. In 1972, Hawkins unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives. In 1976, Hawkins was elected to the Pulaski County Quorum Court, where he served for eighteen years before his retirement in 1994.