Xenophon Hawkins (10-04-1841 - 05-05-1919) American chess composer

Life

Hawkins' life was just as wild as here on the chessboard. Early on, he fought as a daring volunteer on the side of the Southern troops in the American Civil War and was one of the first to join a cavalry unit called "Morgan's Raiders", which carried out attacks far into Northern territory. At the end of his life, Hawkins was considered the last survivor of this unit. One of his sons was vice president of the United Press news agency a century ago.