William Ashton Hawkins (May 11, 1937 – March 27, 2022) was an American lawyer and museum board member.
[1] After his graduation from law school, Hawkins took the Foreign Service exam, planning to have a career as a diplomat.
As a prominent New York lawyer, Hawkins used connections to figures such as Robert Lehman and the Sackler family to coordinate donations and acquisitions.
He advocated for stronger protections for art worldwide, particularly in the Middle East after the 2003 American invasion of Iraq.
[1] According to his husband, Hawkins died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on March 27, 2022, at an assisted living facility in White Plains, New York.