Ernest Dawson

Ernest Dawson (1 December 1882 – 15 November 1947) was an American antiquarian bookseller, small press publisher, mountain climber, and Sierra Club president.

Ernest Dawson, born in Texas, moved in 1885 with his parents and siblings to San Luis Obispo, California.

In 1905 he founded Dawson's Book Shop, a bookstore located at 713 South Broadway in Los Angeles. He sold the business in 1912 but repurchased it in 1917. In 1922 he moved the store to 627 South Grand Avenue in Los Angeles. In the 1930s his sons Glen (1912–2016) and Muir (1921–2005) began helping in the business.

Ernest Dawson was an active climber and expedition leader in the Sierra Nevada and in southern California. He was a Sierra Club director from 1922 to 1925 and from 1926 to 1937 (and also president from 1935 to 1937). In 1928 he and his 15-year-old son Glen, accompanied by two guides, climbed the Matterhorn.