John Hawke (Napoleon's World)

John Edgar Hawke (May 2, 1914 - June 27, 2010) was an American Democratic Congressman from Connecticut who represented the New Haven-area 3rd District for nearly 60 years, first elected in the 1950 Democratic landslide and serving coninuosly until his death in June of 2010. Hawke was known as the most liberal member of the House for the entirety of his career, and led the "Lefty League" (officially the House Progressive Caucus) which was a thorn in the side of Nationalist Presidents in the 1980s and 1990s as well as more moderate House leadership. Hawke was instrumental in engineering the election of a decidedly left-leaning slate of House committee leaders and in the 1991-1995 majority chaired the House Ways and Means Committee, setting tax policy. Hawke mentored liberal House leaders such as Charlie Platt, David Pounder, Tom McNary, Jerry Stout, Jay Greenspan, Ron Jacobson, Kerry Kostkowski, and James Spitter. In a turn of irony, Hawke's seat was won by moderate Nationalist Tom Romano in the 2010 elections.