Literary agent John Hawkins, who had an eponymous firm, died on Sunday, November 13, at the age of 72. John Hawkins & Associates is one of the country's oldest literary agencies and Hawkins's clients included such authors as Joyce Carol Oates, E. Lynn Harris and Robert Parker.
Hawkins was born in Seattle and attended Harvard, before moving on to receive a degree in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania. After working in banking for a few years, he joined the firm of Paul R. Reynolds Inc., which was then run his wife's grandfather, Paul Revere Reynolds. Hawkins became president of the firm in 1980 and, in 1985, changed its name to John Hawkins & Associates. Among other career highs, Hawkins is thought to have negotiated the industry's first million dollar contract, for James Clavell, in 1976, for his work The Noble House. That same year Hawkins's client Alex Haley had a major hit with his book, Roots.
Hawkins is survived by his brother Richard Bruce Hawkins and his nephews, Graham Carty and Andrew Spencer Hawkins.
