William Crosby Dawson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Clerk of the Georgia House of Representatives | |
| In office 1821 – c. 1833 | |
| Preceded by | William Turner |
| Succeeded by | Robert W. Carnes |
| Member of theGeorgia Senate fromGreene County | |
| In office 1834–1835 | |
| Preceded by | Nicholas Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Thomas G. Janes |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Georgia'sat-large district | |
| In office November 7, 1836 – November 13, 1841 | |
| Preceded by | John E. Coffee |
| Succeeded by | Mark A. Cooper |
| Judge, Ocmulgee Circuit Court, Georgia | |
| In office 1845–? | |
| United States Senator fromGeorgia | |
| In office March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1855 | |
| Preceded by | Herschel V. Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Iverson, Sr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1798-01-04)January 4, 1798 |
| Died | May 5, 1856(1856-05-05) (aged 58) Greensboro, Georgia |
| Party | States' Rights Party,Whig |
| Spouse | Henrietta M. Wingfield ( – 4/7/1850) |
| Alma mater | Franklin College (1816) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Creek and Seminole Indian War |
William Crosby Dawson (January 4, 1798 – May 5, 1856) was a lawyer, judge, politician, and soldier fromGeorgia.
Dawson was born inGreensboro,Greene County, Georgia, January 4, 1798. His parents were George Dawson, Sr. and Katie Ruth Marston Skidmore.
After taking an academic course from the Rev. Dr. Cumming, Dawson attended the county academy in Greensboro, and then was graduated fromFranklin College,Athens,Clarke County, Georgia, in 1816 at the age of eighteen. He studied law for a year in the office of the Hon.Thomas W. Cobb, atLexington,Oglethorpe County, Georgia, and then in theLitchfield Law School of judgesTapping Reeve andJames Gould atLitchfield, Connecticut.[1] In 1818, he was admitted to the bar.
Dawson set up a practice in Greensboro, where he was a successful jury lawyer. He was known for his ability to settle cases out of court.
In 1819, he married Henrietta M. Wingfield. They had eight children. His wife died in 1850. Dawson remarried in 1854 to Eliza M. Williams ofMemphis, Tennessee.[2]
Dawson was elected as one of the vice presidents of the Alumni Society of the University of Georgia at its first meeting, on August 4, 1834.[3]
He was elected Clerk of theGeorgia House of Representatives in 1821 and served twelve years in that post. From 1828, he compiledDawson's Digest of Laws of Georgia, published in 1831.[4]
From 1834 to 1835, he served as a state senator.
In 1836, he was Captain of Volunteers under GeneralWinfield Scott in theCreek and Seminole Indian War in Florida.
Dawson was elected as a States' Rights candidate to theUnited States House of Representatives for the24th United States Congress in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of GeneralJohn E. Coffee, taking office on December 26, 1836.[5] He was re-elected as aWhig to the25th,26th, and27th Congresses. He served from November 7, 1836, to November 13, 1841.
He was the Whig candidate for Governor of Georgia in 1841 but was defeated byCharles James McDonald. He thought his defeat as gubernatorial candidate meant that voters disapproved of his congressional service, particularly his vote earlier in the year to tax coffee and tea.[6] He resigned from Congress.
During his service in the United States House, Dawson chaired the Committee on Mileage (25th Congress), the Committee on Claims (26th Congress), and the Committee on Military Affairs (27th Congress).
He was appointed by GovernorGeorge W. Crawford to fill a vacancy as Judge of the Ocmulgee Circuit Court in 1845, but he declined to run as a candidate for the bench at the completion of his term.
Dawson was elected by the state legislature in November 1847[7] as the Whig candidate for Georgia's Class 3 seat in theUnited States Senate for the31st,32nd, and33rd Congresses, serving from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1855. Dawson supported thecompromises that preserved the union in 1850.[8][9] He chaired the Committee on Private Land Claims (32nd Congress) and presided over the Southern convention atMemphis in 1853.
He was twice a delegate to the convention to amend the U.S. Constitution.[6]
Dawson was initiated to theScottish Rite Freemasonry at the "San Marino"Lodge No. 34, Greensboro, GA.[10][11][12] He was electedGrand Master of theGrand Lodge of Free and AcceptedMasons in Georgia on November 8, 1843[13] and served in that capacity until his death in 1856.[14] While in Congress, he was active in local Freemasonry. The Dawson Lodge in Washington, D.C.[15] and the Dawson Lodge in Social Circle, Georgia were named for him.[16][17]
Dawson died in Greensboro on May 5, 1856, and was buried inGreensboro Cemetery with Masonic rites following a service in thePresbyterian church. A historical sign was placed in his honor in Greensboro.[18]
Because of his elegant manners, he was called "the first gentleman of Georgia" byJoseph Henry Lumpkin.[19]
Joshua Reed Giddings described him: "He was a man of much suavity of manner; one of that class ofSouthern statesmen who felt it necessary to carry every measure by the influence of personal kindness, and an expression of horror at all agitation of the slave question, under the apprehension that it mightdissolve the Union."[20]
Dawson County, Georgia, and the county seat,Dawsonville, were named for William Crosby Dawson.[21] The county was created by a legislative act on December 3, 1857, primarily out ofLumpkin County and small parts ofGilmer,Pickens andForsyth counties.Dawson, the county seat ofTerrell County, Georgia was incorporated on December 22, 1857, and named for William Crosby Dawson.[22]
Company C, 3d Regiment,Georgia Volunteer Infantry,Army of Northern Virginia, C.S.A., from Greene County, was called the "Dawson Grays" in his honor.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| First | Whig nominee forGovernor of Georgia 1841 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromGeorgia's at-large congressional district November 7, 1836 – November 13, 1841 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Georgia March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1855 Served alongside:John M. Berrien,Robert M. Charlton,Robert A. Toombs | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
Chairs of theUnited States House Committee on Armed Services | ||
|---|---|---|
| Military Affairs Committee (1822–1947) |  | |
| Naval Affairs Committee (1822–1947) | ||
| Armed Services Committee* (from 1947) | ||
*Alternately namedNational Security in 104th and 105th Congresses. | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
