Willis Nichols Hawley (August 9, 1875 – November 19, 1898) was an American soldier who died of typhoid fever during the Spanish–American War.

[1] Hawley was the first student or alumnus of the University of Connecticut (Storrs Agricultural College at the time) to die while on active duty during wartime.

The Willis Nichols Hawley Armory on the university's campus in Storrs was named in his honor.

"Quiet and unassuming," he received good grades, played right end on the Connecticut Aggies football team, and participated in the Shakespearean Club on campus.

[6] Hawley served as the student leader and first lieutenant of the college's cadet company, overseen by Professor Henry A. Ballou.

[8] During the war, disease ran rampant in the overcrowded and unsanitary military encampments in the United States.

"Typhoid fever and not Spanish bayonets was the principal hazard of war," observed college historian Walter Stemmons.

Hawley was the first student or alumnus of the University of Connecticut to die while on active duty during wartime.

Renovated in the 1990s, the building now holds a fitness center and hosts health and wellness programs for UConn staff and students.