James Hawkey

(Alfred) James Hawkey (1877-22 May 1952), knighted in 1926 and created Sir James Hawkey, First Baronet, of Woodford in the County of Essex in 1945 was a Conservative Party politician long involved in the local politics of the Woodford area.

He was born in Woodford Green and educated at Woodford Collegiate School. He was chairman of Woodford Urban District Council for eighteen years, from 1916 up to 1934 when it was merged with the neighbouring urban district of Wanstead. He subsequently was chairman of the successor Wanstead and Woodford Urban District Council from 1934-1937, when it was granted a charter of incorporation to become a Municipal Borough. Hawkey was charter mayor of the new borough, and served three more terms as mayor in 1937–38, 1943–44 and 1944-45. He was the first person to be granted honorary freedom of the borough in 1939.

He also represented the area on Essex County Council.