John Littleton Dawson

John Littleton Dawson

John Littleton Dawson (born February 7, 1813 in Uniontown , Fayette County , Pennsylvania , †  September 18, 1870 in Springfield , Pennsylvania) was an American lawyer and politician . Between 1851 and 1867 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives twice .

Career

John Dawson came to Brownsville with his parents when he was still a child . In 1833 he graduated from Washington College . After a subsequent law degree and his admission to the bar in 1835, he began to work in Brownsville in this profession. In 1838, he became the assistant district attorney in Fayette County. Between 1845 and 1848 he was a federal attorney for the western part of the state of Pennsylvania. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party . In 1844, 1848, 1860 and 1868 he took part as a delegate to the respective Democratic National Conventions . In 1848 he ran unsuccessfully for Congress .

In the congressional elections of 1850 Dawson was then elected in the 18th  electoral district of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , where he succeeded Andrew Jackson Ogle on March 4, 1851 . After re-election, he was able to complete two legislative terms in Congress until March 3, 1855. These were shaped by the events leading up to the civil war . Since 1853 Dawson represented the 20th district of his state as the successor to John Allison . Also since 1853 he was chairman of the Agriculture Committee.

In 1854, John Dawson declined to run again. President Franklin Pierce named him governor of the Kansas Territory ; but he refused this appointment. In the elections of 1862 Dawson was re-elected to Congress in the 21st district of Pennsylvania, where he replaced James K. Moorhead on March 4, 1863 . After being re-elected, he was able to spend two more legislative terms in the US House of Representatives until March 3, 1867. During this time, in 1865, the civil war ended and the 13th amendment was ratified . Since 1865, the work of Congress had been weighed down by tension between Republicans and President Andrew Johnson , which culminated in a narrowly unsuccessful impeachment trial.

In 1866, John Dawson renounced a new congressional candidacy. After the end of his time in the US House of Representatives, he withdrew into retirement, which he spent on his Friendship Hill estate in Springfield. He died there on September 18, 1870.

According to him, Dawson County named in Nebraska.

Web links

• John Littleton Dawson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• John Littleton Dawson in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Andrew Jackson Ogle	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (18th electoral district) March 4, 1851 - March 3, 1853	John McCulloch
John Allison	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (20th constituency) March 4, 1853 - March 3, 1855	Jonathan Knight
James K. Moorhead	United States House of Representatives for Pennsylvania (21st constituency) March 4, 1863 - March 3, 1867	John Covode