Donald Shelton Dawson (August 3, 1908 – December 25, 2005) was a 20th-century American lawyer, politician, and military officer, best remembered as the presidential aide who marshaled

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

's crucial whistle-stop tour in the 1948 election campaign and so was perhaps the first modern American political advance man, able to gauge political climate and provide appropriate advice.

Background

Donald Shelton Dawson was born on August 3, 1908, in

El Dorado Springs, Missouri El Dorado Springs is the largest city in Cedar County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,493 at the 2020 census. The name is commonly shortened to El Dorado or El Do. Geography El Dorado Springs is located at (37.870872, -94.021024 ...

. He graduated from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

in 1930 and received his law degree from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

in 1938, while working.

Career

Government service

Around 1933, Dawson began to serve as an examiner for the Reconstruction Finance Corporation (RFC). In 1939, he became RFC director. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces through 1946. In 1946, he returned to government service as a close aid to U.S. President

. Of how he organized Truman's famous whistle-stop tour, Dawson recounted in 1992:

My job was to be a jump ahead, getting kids out of school early, finding free buses, whatever it took... When the president caught up with me at each stop, I'd brief him on the local situation, and he'd quickly adapt his direct comments. His spur-of-the-moment stuff was so good. He always wanted to talk about things the people wanted to know. Wonderful.... If the boss saw 20 people out of the window, he'd stop the train... The back platform of the train is where he really hit the people. Off the cuff, he was the best. And he was never afraid of politics.

In 1947, he chaired the White House

Loyalty Review Board Loyalty, in general use, is a Fixation (psychology), devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, country, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpers ...

. In 1951, Dawson found himself caught up in congressional inquiries into the RFC and its board with regard to jobs and loans; he testified before a committee chaired by U.S. Senator J. W. Fulbright. Dawson faced no criminal charges and continued to work at the White House.

Private law practice

In 1953 he formed the law offices of Dawson, Griffin, Pickens, where he was a senior partner. In 1968, he continued in that role as the firm changed principals and became Dawson, Riddell, Holroyd, Taylor & Davis. In 1980, he left the firm to work in his own practice. He retired from the

United States Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

as a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in 1970.

Personal and death

Dawson was married three times. He married Alva Ansley and had one daughter Diana Star Dawson Coyner; they divorced. He married

Ilona Massey Ilona Massey (born Ilona Hajmássy, June 16, 1910 – August 20, 1974) was a Hungarian-American film, stage and radio performer. Early life and career She was born in Budapest, Kingdom of Hungary (now in Hungary). Billed as "the new Die ...

(June 16, 1910 – August 20, 1974) a Hungarian film, stage and radio performer; who predeceased him. In 1975, he married Virginia J. Friedland. He had two daughters and a son. He served as president of the Institute for National and International Affairs at the Truman Library. He supported the Humane Society, the College of the Virgin Islands, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Society, American Friends of Jamaica, and the American Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation. Dawson died age 97 on Sunday, December 25, 2005, Christmas Day, at his home in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, and he was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

near his wife.

References

External links

Library of Congress
Donald S. Dawson Papers, 1944–1993 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, Donald 1908 births 2005 deaths People from Cedar County, Missouri University of Missouri alumni George Washington University Law School alumni United States presidential advisors Harry S. Truman United States Army Air Forces generals of World War II United States Army Air Forces generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery