John M. Dawson

Early life and education He was born September 16, 1829, as a slave in Alexandria, New York to Samuel and Winney Dawson, later escaping to Cato, New York.

Military service and career

He served in the American Civil War from September 1864 until discharged after then end of the war, serving in the 3rd New York Artillery Regiment. There was a split in the local Republican Party for the candidate for the next senate session with one part supporting Dawson and another supporting the incumbent Daniel M. Norton. and in 1880 he was an elector for Virginia for the 1880 United States presidential election.

He was selected to run for Congress in 1882 although he had not solicited the position but accepted the nomination as he considered it "the duty of every good republican to aid by every honorable means in his power in securing an increase of true and tried in the Congressional delegation from this State". He was unsuccessful coming a distant third and then again failing at a second attempt the following year. He owned property in Williamsburg as well as about sixty acres of land within James City County.