# William A. Dawson > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/William_A._Dawson > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/William_A._Dawson.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_A._Dawson > Source revision: 1350006263 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) American politician William A. Dawson Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah's 2nd district In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 Preceded by J. W. Robinson Succeeded by Reva B. Bosone In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1959 Preceded by Reva B. Bosone Succeeded by David S. King Member of the Utah Senate In office 1940–1944 Personal details Born (1903-11-05)November 5, 1903 Layton, Utah Died November 7, 1981(1981-11-07) (aged 78) Salt Lake City, Utah Resting place Kaysville Cemetery, Kaysville, Utah Party Republican Alma mater University of Utah Profession Lawyer **William Adams Dawson** (November 5, 1903 – November 7, 1981) was a [U.S. representative](/source/United_States_House_of_Representatives) from [Utah](/source/Utah). ## Biography Born in [Layton, Utah](/source/Layton%2C_Utah), Dawson attended the public schools. He graduated from the law department of the [University of Utah](/source/University_of_Utah) in 1926. He was [admitted to the bar](/source/Admission_to_the_bar_in_the_United_States) the same year and commenced practice in [Salt Lake City](/source/Salt_Lake_City), and was [County attorney](/source/County_attorney) of Davis County from 1926 to 1934, and mayor of Layton 1935–1939. He served as member of the [Utah State Senate](/source/Utah_State_Senate) from 1940 to 1944. ### Congress Dawson was elected as a [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) to the [Eightieth](/source/80th_United_States_Congress) Congress (January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949), defeating a seven-term [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1948 to the [Eighty-first](/source/81st_United_States_Congress) Congress. In 1950 he sought nomination for the [United States Senate](/source/United_States_Senate), but placed fourth in the nominating convention.[1] Dawson was elected to the [Eighty-third](/source/83rd_United_States_Congress), replacing the woman who had unseated him in 1948, and reelected to the [Eighty-fourth](/source/84th_United_States_Congress) and [Eighty-fifth](/source/85th_United_States_Congress) Congresses (January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1959). Dawson voted in favor of the [Civil Rights Act of 1957](/source/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1957).[2] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1958 to the [Eighty-sixth](/source/86th_United_States_Congress) Congress. Legislatively, Dawson served on the [Interior and Insular Affairs Committee](/source/United_States_House_Committee_on_Natural_Resources) and sponsored three laws in that field. One failure was a proposal to build a storage project on the upper [Colorado River](/source/Colorado_River). House Speaker [Joseph W. Martin, Jr.](/source/Joseph_W._Martin%2C_Jr.) pulled the bill in 1954 as too controversial, but the [Glen Canyon project](/source/Glen_Canyon_Dam) was approved by the following Democratic congress. ### Later career and death He served as vice president of Zions First National Bank from 1959 to 1969. He was a resident of [Salt Lake City, Utah](/source/Salt_Lake_City%2C_Utah), until his death on November 7, 1981. He was interred in Kaysville Cemetery, [Kaysville, Utah](/source/Kaysville%2C_Utah). ## Electoral results 1946 United States House of Representatives elections[3] Party Candidate Votes % Republican William A. Dawson 56,402 52.71 Democratic J. W. Robinson (Incumbent) 50,598 47.29 Total votes 107,000 100.0 Republican gain from Democratic 1948 United States House of Representatives elections[4] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Reva Beck Bosone 92,770 57.46 Republican William A. Dawson (Incumbent) 68,693 42.54 Total votes 161,463 100.0 Democratic gain from Republican 1952 United States House of Representatives elections[5] Party Candidate Votes % Republican William A. Dawson 105,296 52.55 Democratic Reva Beck Bosone (Incumbent) 95,084 47.45 Total votes 200,380 100.0 Republican gain from Democratic 1954 United States House of Representatives elections[6] Party Candidate Votes % Republican William A. Dawson (Incumbent) 90,864 57.16 Democratic Reva Beck Bosone 68,090 42.84 Total votes 158,954 100.0 Republican hold 1956 United States House of Representatives elections[7] Party Candidate Votes % Republican William A. Dawson (Incumbent) 119,683 57.64 Democratic Oscar W. McConkie Jr. 87,970 42.36 Total votes 207,653 100.0 Republican hold 1958 United States House of Representatives elections[8] Party Candidate Votes % Democratic David S. King 91,213 51.11 Republican William A. Dawson (Incumbent) 87,234 48.89 Total votes 178,447 100.0 Democratic gain from Republican ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** "Salt Lake Tribune". June 11, 1950. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957"](https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/85-1957/h42). *GovTrack.us*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [1946 Election Results](http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1946election.pdf) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [1948 Election Results](http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1948election.pdf) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [1952 Election Results](http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1952election.pdf) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [1954 Election Results](http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1954election.pdf) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [1956 Election Results](http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1956election.pdf) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [1958 Election Results](http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1958election.pdf) - United States Congress. ["William A. Dawson (id: D000155)"](http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=D000155). *[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress](/source/Biographical_Directory_of_the_United_States_Congress)*. ## Further reading - (1994) ["Dawson, William Adams"](https://web.archive.org/web/20240321165041/https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/d/DAWSON_WILLIAM.shtml) article in the [*Utah History Encyclopedia*.](https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/) The article was written by Doris F. Salmon and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived from [the original](https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/d/DAWSON_WILLIAM.shtml) on March 21, 2024 and retrieved on April 13, 2024. ## External links - A film clip ["Longines Chronoscope with William A. Dawson"](https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.95893) is available for viewing at the [Internet Archive](/source/Internet_Archive) This article incorporates [public domain material](/source/Copyright_status_of_works_by_the_federal_government_of_the_United_States) from [*Biographical Directory of the United States Congress*](http://bioguide.congress.gov). [Federal government of the United States](/source/Federal_government_of_the_United_States). U.S. House of Representatives Preceded by J. W. Robinson Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah's 2nd congressional district 1947–1949 Succeeded by Reva B. Bosone Preceded by Reva B. Bosone Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Utah's 2nd congressional district 1953–1959 Succeeded by David S. King v t e United States representatives from Utah Territorial (1851–1895) Seat Bernhisel Hooper Bernhisel Kinney Hooper G. Cannon Caine Rawlins F. Cannon One at-large seat (1895–1913) Seat Allen W. King Sutherland Howell Two at-large seats (1913–1915) Seat Howell Seat Johnson Districts (1915–present) (3rd district established in 1983) (4th district established in 2013) 1st district Howell Welling Colton Murdock Granger Stringfellow Dixon Peterson Burton McKay Hansen Bishop Moore 2nd district Mays Leatherwood Loofbourow Robinson Dawson Bosone Dawson D. King Lloyd D. King Lloyd W. Owens Howe Marriott Monson W. Owens Shepherd Greene Waldholtz Cook Matheson Stewart Maloy 3rd district Nielson Orton C. Cannon Chaffetz Curtis Kennedy 4th district Matheson Love McAdams B. Owens Authority control databases International VIAF WorldCat National United States People US Congress Other SNAC --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William A. Dawson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_A._Dawson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_A._Dawson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.