James W. Dawes

James William Dawes (born January 8, 1844 in McConnelsville , Ohio , † October 8, 1918 in Milwaukee , Wisconsin ) was an American politician and between 1883 and 1887 the sixth governor of the state of Nebraska .

Early years and political advancement

James Dawes grew up in Ohio and Wisconsin, where he also attended local schools. He later completed his education at Western Reserve College in Ohio and Milwaukee Business College . After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1871. After moving to Crete , Nebraska, he practiced law there.

Dawes was a member of the Republican Party . In 1875 he was a member of the commission that revised the Nebraska Constitution. In 1877 he was elected to the State Senate. Between 1876 and 1882 he was chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party. In 1880 he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago , where James A. Garfield was nominated as a presidential candidate. In 1882 he was elected as the new governor of his party against the former Territorial Governor Julius Sterling Morton .

Governor of Nebraska

Dawes took office on January 4, 1883. After a successful re-election in 1884 (again against Morton) he was able to officiate for a total of four years. During these four years the state's school system was improved. Both agricultural production and industrial growth increased.

After the end of his tenure, Dawes initially worked again as a lawyer in Crete and as a curator at Doane College there. During the Spanish-American War he became a paymaster in the US Army . He held this post until 1909, during which time he served in both Cuba and the Philippines . After serving in the Army, he moved to Milwaukee, where he died on October 8, 1918. James Dawes was married to Francis Anna Dawes, who died in 1908. The Dawes County , Nebraska was named after him.

Web links

• James Dawes at the National Governors Association (English)