William Johnston Dawson (1765 – January 16, 1796) was a

U.S. Congressman 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 the state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

from 1793 to 1795 and a member of the North Carolina House of Commons.

Early life

Dawson was born near Edenton in

Chowan County, North Carolina Chowan County ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolin ...

. His grandfather was royal Governor

Gabriel Johnston Gabriel Johnston (1699 – 17 July 1752) was a British colonial official who served as the sixth governor of the Province of North Carolina from 1734 until his death in 1752. He was the longest serving governor, holding the office for 18 ...

. He was also the grandson of William Dawson, the second president of

The College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

, and a great-great grandson of

John Stith John Stith (floruit, fl. 1631–1694) was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and the progenitor of the Stith family of Virginia, Stith family, one of the First Families of Virginia, first families of Virginia. Early life John Stith was ...

and

William Randolph William Randolph I (bapt. 7 November 1650 – 11 April 1711) was a planter, merchant and politician in colonial Virginia who played an important role in the development of the colony. Born in Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, Randolph moved to the ...

Political career

Dawson represented

Bertie County Bertie County ( , with both syllables stressed) is a county located in the northeast area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,934. Its county seat is Windsor. The county was created in 1722 as Berti ...

in the state constitutional conventions of 1788 and 1789. He was elected to the

North Carolina House of Commons The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

(now called the House of Representatives) in 1791 and was a member of the committee which was appointed to choose a site for the new state capital,

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

, that same year. Dawson Street in downtown Raleigh is named for him. Dawson was elected to the

3rd United States Congress The 3rd 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 at Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Penn ...

in the election of February 15, 1793, a three-way race in which he, as the

Anti-Federalist Anti-Federalism was a late-18th century political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger U.S. federal government and which later opposed the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. The previous constitution, called the Articles of Con ...

candidate, defeated two

Federalists The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

Stephen Cabarrus Stephen Cabarrus (1754–1808) held the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in North Carolina from 1789 to 1793 and from 1800 to 1805. Cabarrus County, North Carolina is named after him because, while serving as speaker, Cabarr ...

(Speaker of the State House) and William Cumming. Dawson served from March 4, 1793 to March 3, 1795. He lost his race for re-election on February 13, 1795 to

Dempsey Burges Colonel Dempsey Burgess (1751 – January 13, 1800) was a Democratic-Republican U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1795 and 1799. He was commandeer of the Camden County Regiment of the North Carolina militia during the American Revoluti ...

Death

Dawson died in Bertie County, North Carolina. His obituary, printed in the ''North Carolina Journal'' on February 1, 1796, stated that Dawson died on January 16, 1796 but the

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates from ...

, which lists his middle name as "Johnson," puts his death at 1798.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawson, William Johnston 1765 births 1796 deaths Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina People from Edenton, North Carolina 18th-century American politicians People from Bertie County, North Carolina