William Hawes (physician)

William Hawes M.D. (1736–1808) was an English physician, founder of the Royal Humane Society.

Hawes was born at Islington, London, on 28 November 1736, and was educated at first by John Shield, and afterwards at St Paul's School, London. After passing some time with Mr. Robert Carsan, a medical practitioner of Vauxhall, he became assistant to a Mr. Dicks in the Strand and eventually succeeded him in his practice.

About 1773 Hawes became well known as a campaigner for the possibility of resuscitating persons apparently dead from drowning, or other causes of asphyxia. For a year he gave a reward to anyone who brought to him, or his supporters, the body of a person who had been taken out of the River Thames insensible, within a reasonable time after immersion. The reward was paid whether the attempt to resuscitate proved successful or not. Thomas Cogan, who translated in 1773 an account of an Amsterdam society for the resuscitation of the apparently drowned, thought that Hawes should not pay all the rewards, and it was arranged in 1774 that he and Cogan should each bring fifteen friends to the Chapter coffee-house on Paternoster Row to consider further operations. This was done, and at the meeting the Humane Society was formed. Hawes became its registrar.

Hawes was also physician to the London Dispensary. From 1791 he lived in Spital Square, and in 1793 worked to alleviate the distress which then was found among Spitalfields weavers. He died 5 December 1808.

Hawes wrote the following works:

Hawes married Sarah Fox (1740–1814) in 1859, and they had nine children, some dying young. One of his three sons, Benjamin Hawes, was the father of Benjamin Hawes (1797–1862) and William Hawes (1805–1885). Maria, a daughter, married John Gurney. The eldest son, Thomas (died 1849), a magistrate, was partner with Benjamin in the soapworks at the New Barge House, Lambeth.

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