Augustus Hawkins died November 10, 2007. He was 100 years old, the oldest former member of Congress at the time. He had spent the majority of his life representing the people of South Los Angeles. He was elected to the state assembly in 1935. He was just the second African-American to be elected to that body. In 1963 he went to the United States Congress. He was the first African-American from California to be elected to that body. In all he spent more than 55 years, more than half his life, representing his home.