{{Short description|British author (1901–1975)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} '''Hector Hawton''' (7 February 1901 – 14 December 1975) was a British humanist, novelist and rationalist writer.
==Biography==
Hawton was born in Plymouth and was educated at Plymouth College.<ref>Lofts, William Oliver Guillemont; Adley, Derek John. (1970). ''The Men Behind Boys' Fiction''. Howard Baker. p. 177</ref> He married Mary Bishop, they had two sons.<ref name= "Reginald 1979">Reginald, Robert. (1979). ''Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, Volume 2''. Gale Research Company. p. 933. {{ISBN|0-8103-1051-1}}</ref> He worked as a journalist for the ''Western Morning News'' (1919–1923), National Press Agency (1923–1927) and was an editor for ''Empire News'' (1927–1929).<ref name= "Reginald 1979"/>
During World War II he worked for No. 4 Group RAF at Heslington Hall, Yorkshire.<ref name="Flynn">Flynn, Tom. (2007). ''The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief''. Prometheus Books. p. 381. {{ISBN|978-1-59102-391-3}}</ref> He was managing director of the Rationalist Press Association (1952–1971) and editor for ''The Humanist''.<ref name= "Reginald 1979"/><ref>[https://conwayhall.org.uk/hector_hawton_500db0ca1536e/ "Hector Hawton"]{{Dead link|date=September 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}. Conway Hall.</ref>
Hawton is credited with drafting the original Amsterdam Declaration during the first World Humanist Congress of Humanists International (then: ''International Humanist and Ethical Union, IHEU'') in the Netherlands, from 22 to 27 August 1952. During the congress the general assembly agreed on a statement of the fundamental principles of modern Humanism.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hector Hawton (1901-1975) |url=https://heritage.humanists.uk/hector-hawton-1901-1975/ |website=Humanist Heritage |publisher=Humanists UK }}</ref>
Hawton was sympathetic to the Christ myth theory. He wrote the introduction to the 1967 reprint of J. M. Robertson's book ''Pagan Christs''. He ghostwrote many of the books attributed to Eustace Chesser.<ref name="Flynn"/>
Hawton authored many novels, including science fiction. Some of these were published under the pseudonyms Jack Lethaby or John Sylvester.<ref name="Flynn"/>
He identified as a Marxist but later moved away from this viewpoint.<ref>Walter, Nicolas. ''Secularism and British Marxism''. ''New Left Review'' I/126, March–April 1981.</ref> He has been described as "one of the most significant humanists in postwar Britain."<ref name="Flynn"/>
==Publications==
'''Nonfiction'''
*''Flight From Reality'' (1941) *''Night Bombing'' (1944) *''The Men Who Fly'' (1944) *''Men Without Gods'' (1948) *[https://archive.org/details/philosophyforple032124mbp ''Philosophy for Pleasure''] (1949)<ref>Hartland-Swann, John. (1950). ''Philosophy for Pleasure by Hawton Hector''. ''Philosophy'' 25 (95): 349–350.</ref> *''Why be Moral?: How to Decide What is Right and What is Wrong Without Invoking a Supernatural Law-Giver'' (1947) *''The Thinker's Handbook: A Guide to Religious Controversy'' (1950) *''The Feast of Unreason'' (1952) *[https://archive.org/details/reasoninaction032248mbp ''Reason in Action''] (1956) [with Archibald Robertson, J. B. Coates, Donald Ford and H. J. Blackham] *''The Humanist Revolution'' (1963) *''Controversy: The Humanist/Christian Encounter'' (1971)
'''Novels'''
* Murder Cave (1934) *''Frozen Fire'' (1935) *''Murder at H.Q.'' (1935) *''Unnatural Causes'' (1947) *''Murder by Mathematics'' (1948) *''The Case of the Crazy Atom'' (1948) *''Master of the World'' (1949) *''Tower of Darkness'' (1950) *''Blue-Eyed Buddha'' (1951) *''Operation Superman'' (1951) *''Black Emperor'' (1952) *''Death of a Witch'' (1952) *''The Flying Saucer'' (1952) *''The Lost Valley'' (1953) *''Rope for the Judge'' (1954) *''Skeleton in the Cupboard'' (1955) *''The Green Scorpion'' (1957)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/hector-hawton/ Hector Hawton] – Fantastic Fiction
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Category:1901 births Category:1975 deaths Category:Royal Air Force airmen Category:Military personnel from Plymouth, Devon Category:20th-century English novelists Category:British critics of Christianity Category:English atheists Category:English humanists Category:English sceptics Category:Freethought writers Category:Writers from Plymouth, Devon Category:Rationalists Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Category:Authors of Sexton Blake Category:20th-century English male journalists Category:20th-century English journalists