 He was Mayor of Dartmouth on fourteen occasions between 1374 and 1401 and was elected MP for Dartmouth four times, in 1390, 1393, 1394 and 1402.Hawley was both a merchant and licensed privateer though he was often accused of piracy.He conducted a number of naval operations in the English Channel and briefly held the post of deputy to the Admiral of England under King Henry IV (1399-1413).