He was initially known as Philemon Hawkins, Jr. His parents were from Devonshire in England, and settled in the Colony of Virginia in 1717.

His father reportedly descended from Sir John Hawkins, the English naval commander, and died in Gloucester County, Virginia in 1725.

[1][2] After his father's death, Hawkins moved to Bute County Province of North Carolina in 1735, along with his mother and two siblings, John and Ann.

He served seven terms representing Granville County in the North Carolina General Assembly between 1779 and 1787.

[1][2][4] He served in the North Carolina militia during the Revolutionary War:[2] He died on September 10, 1801, in Warren County, North Carolina, and was buried at the family homestead (Pleasant Hill/Hawkins House), along with his wife, who died in 1794.