John Littleton Dawson (February7, 1813September18, 1870) was a
Democratic member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from
Pennsylvania.
Early life and education
Dawson was born in
Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and grew up in
Brownsville, Pennsylvania. He graduated from
Washington College with a degree in law, was granted
admission to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1835, and ran a small law practice. He served as deputy attorney general for
Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in 1838, and as district attorney for the western district of Pennsylvania from 1845 until 1848.
Political career
In
1848
1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...
he unsuccessfully ran for congress as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, but on subsequent attempts he was elected and served in the
32nd and
33rd congresses, from March 4, 1851, until March 3, 1855, when he stepped down, declining the nomination for the next term. While serving as a congressman he was the chairman of the
Committee on Agriculture.
During his time away from congress, President
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...
offered him the governorship of
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...
, but he declined so that he could run for congress again, which he was elected to again in 1863, and served on the
38th and
39th congresses from March 4, 1863, until March 3, 1867. His vote on the
Thirteenth Amendment is recorded as nay.
He was a delegate to
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...
from Pennsylvania,
1844
In the Philippines, it was the only leap year with 365 days, as December 31 was skipped when 1845 began after December 30.
Events
January–March
* January 15 – The University of Notre Dame, based in the city of the same name, receives ...
,
1848
1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...
,
1860
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France.
* January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...
,
1868
Events
January–March
* January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries.
* January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...
.
He retired to his home in
Springfield Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Springfield Township is a township (Pennsylvania), township in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,730 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Connellsville Area School Distri ...
, where he died at age 57. He was interred at Christ Episcopal Churchyard in Brownsville.
In 1860 he was honored as the namesake of
Dawson County, Nebraska, in what was then Nebraska Territory.
Sources
The Political Graveyard*Nebraska State Historical Society timeline http://www.nebraskahistory.org/publish/publicat/timeline/dawson-john-l.htm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, John Littleton
1813 births
1870 deaths
Washington & Jefferson College alumni
Politicians from Fayette County, Pennsylvania
People from Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
United States Attorneys for the Western District of Pennsylvania
19th-century American legislators