William T. Hawks (November 22, 1944 near Oxford, Mississippi) is an American politician and civil servant, and a businessman active in agriculture. He graduated from Mississippi State University in 1968 with a bachelors of science degree in agricultural economics. He then went on to obtain his masters degree from Mississippi State in agricultural economics in 1970. From 1968 to 1970, Hawks served in the Army Reserve and from 1970 to 1972, he served in the Army National Guard. Following that, Mr. Hawks served in the Air National Guard from 1972 until 1980. Hawks started farming after finishing graduate school by owning and operating a dairy in DeSoto County. In the early 1970s, he began to lease land from neighbors to get started in a row crop operation, often doing custom work for others. Over the years, this has evolved into the multi-faceted operation in place today. Hawks is currently the managing partner of Hawks Farming, which farms approximately 7,700 acres (31 km²) of land in three counties in northern Mississippi. This operation consists of 5,200 acres (21 km²) of soybeans, 3,000 acres (12 km²) of double-cropped winter wheat, and 2,500 acres (10 km²) of corn. In the late 1980s, Hawks was a part owner in a professional farm management company, Sunbelt Land and Timber Company, Incorporated. During the early 1990s, the Hawks owned and managed Northwest Mississippi Flying Service, Incorporated, an agricultural aerial application service, and also owned and operated a recreational airport. The Hawks family also owns DeSoto East, Incorporated, a residential development company. In December of 1994, Hawks was elected to the Mississippi State Senate, representing his native DeSoto County. During his five years as a state senator, he was a leader on the committees with jurisdiction over agriculture and the environment. He was the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi in 1999. On May 24, 2001, Hawks was sworn in as the Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs by Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman. Hawks resigned from the USDA position in June 2005. Throughout his career, he has been very active in many agricultural boards and committees such as American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, and many active state and local organizations. He has two children.
