Charles Boardman Hawes was born in Clifton Springs, New York. His father was named Charles T. Hawes. Charles Boardman Hawes grew up in Bangor, Maine. In 1911 he graduated from Bowdoin College. He was the editor of the student newspaper there. He studied at Harvard for one year. He worked for a magazine called "The Youth's Companion" until 1920. He was an editor for another magazine called "The Open Road for Boys" until he died in 1923. On June 1, 1916, Charles Boardman Hawes married Dorothea Cable. She lived in Northampton, Massachusetts. Her father was George W. Cable, who wrote books. Her mother was Louise S. Bartlett.