A true hometown hero, Major Robert M. A. Hawk was the only sitting U.S. Congressman to ever reside in the little town of Mount Carroll, Illinois. He served in The United States House of Representatives from 1879 until his untimely death at the age of 43 in our nation’s capital in 1882. After both houses of congress sent delegates from Washington, D.C. to Mount Carroll to accompany Major Hawk’s body to his final resting place, members of the House and Senate gave oral testimonies of the life and character of the man and his community back in Illinois. These glowing testimonies reveal their now-gone peer was more than a mere politician. The life he lived and the people and community he impacted showed that he was a civil servant, war hero, follower of Christ, loving husband and father, statesman, and friend. Congress resolved to publish these memorial addresses in 12,000 books and distribute them throughout the nation. This book is a republication of their account to inspire future generations.