John Bennett Dawson
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John Bennett Dawson (March 17, 1798 – June 26, 1845) was an American politician who served as a Democrat in the United States House of Representatives from the state of Louisiana.


Early life

Born near Nashville, Tennessee on March 17, 1798, he went to Centre College in
Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes ...
. He moved to Louisiana and became a planter residing at Wyoming Plantation; he was also interested in the newspaper business. He married Margaret Johnson and together they had four children. His daughter Anna Ruffin Dawson married
Robert C. Wickliffe Robert Charles Wickliffe (January 6, 1819 – April 18, 1895) was Lieutenant Governor and the List of Governors of Louisiana, 15th Governor of Louisiana from 1856 to 1860. Early life and education He was born in Bardstown, Kentucky at Wicklan ...
who would serve as Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Louisiana in the 1850s.


Political career

From 1823-1824, Dawson was a member of the
Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 repr ...
representing Feliciana Parish. He unsuccessfully ran for Louisiana Governor in
1834 Events January–March * January – The Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad is chartered in Wilmington, North Carolina. * January 1 – Zollverein (Germany): Customs charges are abolished at borders within its member states. * January 3 †...
, He was defeated by Whig candidate Edward D. White. In 1840, Dawson was elected as a Democrat representing the Second District in the
27th Congress The 27th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. between March 4, 1 ...
. He was re-elected in 1842 and represented the Third District in the
28th Congress The 28th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1843 ...
. He served from March 4, 1841, until his death on June 26, 1845. He defeated James M. Elam ( Whig) in the election of 1843. He served as major-general in the State militia, judge of the parish court in
West Feliciana Parish West Feliciana Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Feliciana Ouest''; Spanish: ''Parroquia de West Feliciana'') is a civil parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 census, the population was 15,625, and 15,310 at the 2020 census. ...
, and U.S.
postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
at New Orleans from April 10, 1843, until December 19, 1843. Dawson was known for his threats of violence, particularly on the topic of slavery. He once "threatened to cut a colleague’s throat ‘from ear to ear.’" On separate occasions, he drew a Bowie knife on and raised a cocked pistol at the anti-slavery congressman
Joshua R. Giddings Joshua Reed Giddings (October 6, 1795 – May 27, 1864) was an American attorney, politician and a prominent opponent of slavery. He represented Northeast Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1838 to 1859. He was at first a member of ...
. John Quincy Adams described him as a "drunken bully."


Death

Dawson died on June 26, 1845. His remains were interred in Grace Episcopal churchyard in
St. Francisville, Louisiana St. Francisville is a town in and the parish seat of, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,765 at the 2010 U.S. census, and 1,589 at the 2020 population estimates program. It is part of the Baton Rouge metropolitan ...
. His successor in Congress,
John H. Harmanson John Henry Harmanson (January 15, 1803 – October 24, 1850) was a U.S. Representative from Louisiana. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Harmanson pursued classical studies and was graduated from Jefferson College, Washington, Mississippi. He moved to ...
, eulogized him on the floor of the House, but not without noting his "faults — some thought grave faults." In his memory, a cenotaph was erected at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.


See also

*
List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899) The following is a list of United States senators and representatives who died of natural or accidental causes, or who killed themselves, while serving their terms between 1790 and 1899. For a list of members of Congress who were killed while in ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, John Bennett 1798 births 1845 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American Episcopalians American planters Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives Centre College alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana Politicians from Nashville, Tennessee Louisiana state court judges