Information: The first column shows data points from Dawson, William, Sir, 1820-1899. in red. The third column shows data points from Dawson, John William, Sir, 1820-1899 in blue. Any data they share in common is displayed as purple boxes in the middle "Shared" column.
William Dawson, geologist, educator and Principal of McGill University (1855-1893) was an important scientific figure in nineteenth-century Canada, and one of the few of truly international stature. Born and educated in Pictou, Nova Scotia, he early showed a predilection for geology and palaeontology, and began collecting fossil plants from the coal fields in the Pictou area. During a period of study in Edinburgh in 1840-1841, he formed important friendships with Sir Charles Lyell, one of the pioneers of modern geology and with William Logan, shortly to become the first director of the Geological Survey of Canada. On his return to Nova Scotia, he began to publish and lecture on scientific topics. An appointment as Nova Scotia's first Superintendent of Education (1850-1853) entailed the extensive travel which enabled him to gather material for his Acadian Geology. In 1854, in the midst of his unsuccessful application for the chair of Natural History at Edinburgh, Dawson was offered the Principalship of McGill. He found the University on the verge of financial collapse. By a combination of scientific and entrepreneurial talents, he established it on a very sound footing and stamped it with a particularly scientific character. As a scientific educator, Dawson was highly progressive, and introduced a wide range of subjects into the undergraduate curriculum. His belief in the alliance of scientific and commercial concerns, seconded by the financial support of Sir William Macdonald, launched McGill's innovative programmes in applied sciences. However, on the question of the higher education of women, his stance against co-education generated much controversy. In his early years at McGill, Dawson taught almost all the sciences; later, as Logan Professor, he could concentrate on his main fields of geology and palaeontology. His early researches in the Maritimes leaned towards palaeobotany, but were also closely connected with iron and coal mining. Following the move to Montréal, his interests shifted to the Laurentian region and fossil fauna; he was deeply embroiled in the controversy over Eozoon canadense, whose zoological origins he championed. Apart from his extensive scholarly writings, Dawson published many popular works, particularly on the relations of science and religion. He himself was deeply fundamentalist and a vigorous opponent of Darwinism. As time passed, Dawson's research yielded to his involvement in scientific administration. He was the first president of the Royal Society of Canada (1882), the first to serve as president of both the American (1882-3) and the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1886), and a fellow of numerous other learned societies. He was knighted in 1884, following the Montréal meeting of the BAAS which he organized. Dawson married a young Margaret Ann Young Mercer, whom he met in Scotland and brought over to Canada, in 1848. The couple had six children, with five surviving to adulthood.
J. William Dawson, born 13 Oct 1820, Pictou, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada; died 19 Nov 1899 (aged 79), Montreal, Quebec, Canada; buried Cimetière Mont-Royal, Outremont, Quebec, Canada. Family members include: father James Dawson (1789–1862) (parent); spouse Margaret Ann Young Mercer Dawson (1830–1913); and children George Mercer Dawson
(1849–1901), Anna Lois Dawson Harrington (1851–1917), and William Bell Dawson (1854–1944).
Peter R. Eakins and Jean Sinnamon Eakins, “DAWSON, Sir JOHN WILLIAM,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 12, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, viewed on October 26, 2021
<p>"DAWSON, Sir JOHN WILLIAM, geologist, palaeontologist, author, educator, office holder, publisher, and editor; b. 13 Oct. 1820 in Pictou, N.S., son of James Dawson and Mary Rankine; d. 19 Nov. 1899 in Montreal.<p>
<p>John William Dawson (always known as William) was born of Scottish immigrants. At the time of his birth his father was a successful import-export merchant, shipowner, and proprietor of a book and stationery store in Pictou.</p>
<p>John William Dawson was born on 13 October 1820 in Pictou, Nova Scotia, where he attended and graduated from Pictou Academy. Of Scottish descent, Dawson attended the University of Edinburgh to complete his education, and graduated in 1842, having gained a knowledge of geology and natural history from Robert Jameson.<p>
<p>Dawson returned to Nova Scotia in 1842, accompanying Sir Charles Lyell on his first visit to that territory. Dawson was subsequently appointed as Nova Scotia's first superintendent of education. Holding the post from 1850 to 1853, he was an energetic reformer of school design, teacher education and curriculum. Influenced by the American educator Henry Barnard, Dawson published a pamphlet titled, "School Architecture; abridged from Barnard's School Architecture" in 1850. One of the many schools built to his design, the Mount Hanley Schoolhouse still survives today, including the "Dawson Desks" named after him. Dawson's travels as school superintendent allowed him to deepen his geological studies, as he visited and studied geological sites across the region, leading to publication of his classic "Acadian Geology" (1855 and subsequent editions). He entered zealously into the geology of Canada, making a special study of the fossil forests of the coal-measures of Joggins, Nova Scotia, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the course of his second exploration of the cliffs with Charles Lyell in 1852, he discovered the remains of a tetrapod named Dendrerpeton entombed within a fossil tree. Over the years, he continued his exploration of the fossil trees, eventually unearthing the oldest known reptile in the history of life, which he named Hylonomus lyelli in honour of his mentor.</p>
<p>From 1855 to 1893 he was professor of geology and principal of McGill University in Montreal, an institution which under his influence attained a high reputation. In 1859 he published a seminal paper describing the first fossil plant found in rocks of Devonian origin. Although his discovery did not have the impact that might have been expected at the time,[3] he is now considered one of the founders of the science of palaeobotany. He later described the fossil plants of the Silurian, Devonian and Carboniferous rocks of Canada for the Geological Survey of Canada (1871–1873). He was elected FRS (Fellow of the Royal Society) in 1862. When the Royal Society of Canada was created he was the first to occupy the presidential chair, and he also acted as president of the British Association at its meeting at Birmingham in 1886, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1882, and president of the Geological Society of America in 1893.</p>
<p>died in Montreal, 19 November 1899, and was buried in Mount Royal Cemetery. Lady Dawson served as President of the Ladies' Bible Association. Lady Dawson cofounded the Ladies' Educational Institute of Montreal with Mrs. John Molson and others. Lord and Lady Dawson had several sons. The eldest, George Mercer Dawson, served as Director of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1895.</p>
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Dawson
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Dawson
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Dawson, William, Sir, 1820-1899.
creatorOf
Evolution of flowering plants / H. D. L. Corby, OAC Review, v.47, no.4, Jan. 1935, p. 231, con't on p.244. 1935.
OAC Review Index (University of Guelph). Evolution of flowering plants / H. D. L. Corby, OAC Review, v.47, no.4, Jan. 1935, p. 231, con't on p.244.
Title:
Evolution of flowering plants / H. D. L. Corby, OAC Review, v.47, no.4, Jan. 1935, p. 231, con't on p.244. 1935.
OAC Review Index (University of Guelph). Evolution of flowering plants / H. D. L. Corby, OAC Review, v.47, no.4, Jan. 1935, p. 231, con't on p.244.
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Dawson, John William, Sir, 1820-1899
referencedIn
James Henry Coffin Papers, 1848-1884
Coffin, James H. (James Henry), 1806-1873. James Henry Coffin Papers, 1848-1884
Title:
James Henry Coffin Papers, 1848-1884
These papers consist of correspondence concerning temperature, wind, and weather reports of the Hudson Bay region, 1848; resolutions of condolence to Coffin's son, Seldon J. Coffin, from students and alumni of Lafayette College after Coffin's death, 1873; newspaper articles; an illustration of James H. Coffin; and the original manuscript of Winds of the Northern Hemisphere. Additional correspondence of James Henry Coffin exists elsewhere in the Smithsonian Institution Archives, especially in the Joseph Henry Collection, Record Unit 7001, and Meteorological Project Records, Record Unit 60.
ArchivalResource:
0.25 cu. ft. (1 half document box)
LeConte, John L. (John Lawrence), 1825-1883. Papers, 1812-1897
Title:
John L. (John Lawrence) LeConte papers, 1812-1897
This collection contains mostly entomological material, with much information on the description and identification of particular insects, entomological collections, and the study of entomology in Europe and the United States. In addition, there are materials on medicine and hospitals during the American Civil War, on the Corps of Topographical Engineers, the United States Army, on natural history in the United States, and on the LeConte's family. Some letters are written to President Rutherford B. Hayes and concern the Commissionership of Agriculture, for which LeConte was considered, but not appointed. Letters of John Eatton LeConte and Joseph LeConte are included.
Smithsonian Archives. Ru 305: U.S. National Museum Accession Records.
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Dawson, John William, Sir, 1820-1899
creatorOf
Letter, 1853, July 24 : Pictou, Nova Scotia, to W.J. Anderson.
Dawson, John William, Sir, 1820-1899. Letter, 1853, July 24 : Pictou, Nova Scotia, to W.J. Anderson.
Title:
Letter, 1853, July 24 : Pictou, Nova Scotia, to W.J. Anderson.
ALS. Agrees to provide Dr. Torrey with data regarding a collection of plants as well as any sample specimens on condition that he receive due acknowledgement and copies of any work published on the basis of the information provided.
Dawson, John William, Sir, 1820-1899. Letter, 1853, July 24 : Pictou, Nova Scotia, to W.J. Anderson.
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Dawson, John William, Sir, 1820-1899
referencedIn
American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIj 1898-1988
American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIj, 1898-1988
Title:
American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIj 1898-1988
This is part of the large inventory for the American Philosophical Society Archives. For complete information concerning this collection, please view the . Collection Description
American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIj, 1898-1988
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Dawson, John William, Sir, 1820-1899
referencedIn
William Inglis Morse collection, 1710-1947 (inclusive).
Morse, William Inglis, b. 1874,. William Inglis Morse collection, 1710-1947 (inclusive).
Title:
William Inglis Morse collection, 1710-1947 (inclusive).
The collection consists of autograph letters, business papers, and legal papers, in French and English, almost all to or by Canadians. The papers also contain an account book of Morse's transactions with the Yale Art Library and correspondence relating to the Howe family of Nova Scotia, chiefly Joseph Howe's duel with John Croke Halliburton.
The collection consist largely of correspondence and includes: letters to Sir Archibald Geikie, 1880-1896 at Gen. 526/4; letter to Sir Joseph Prestwich, 1880; a substantial number of letters to Sir Charles Lyell, 1842-1875, and newspaper reports of lectures delivered in Montreal, 1855, in the Lyell Collection, Gen. 108 onwards; letter to Sir A. C. Ramsay, 1875, at Gen. 524/1; and a programme for the unveiling of a monument to Dawson in Pictou, 1957.
Citation
Resource Relation
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Dawson, John William, Sir, 1820-1899
creatorOf
Green's additional essays on the American trilobites : holograph manuscript [between 1837 and 1850]
Green, Jacob, 1790-1841. Green's additional essays on the American trilobites : holograph manuscript [between 1837 and 1850]
Title:
Green's additional essays on the American trilobites : holograph manuscript [between 1837 and 1850]
Copy of 7 articles written by J. Green and published in the American journal of science and arts, between 1837 and 1840; the text is in ink on recto of notebook pages ([30]) leaves), and has pencil annotations. Also includes clipping of journal article: Origin of life on earth: address by Prof. J.W. Dawson of Montreal, pasted on 17 p. of the notebook.
Smithsonian Institution. Office of the Secretary. Correspondence, 1865-1891
Title:
Correspondence, 1865-1891
This record unit consists of outgoing correspondence from the Office of the Secretary during the tenures of Joseph, Henry, 1846-1878; Spencer Fullerton Baird, 1878-1887; and Samuel Pierpoint Langley, 1887-1906.
A.L.S. (1872 Dec. 13, Montreal) to Ramsay concerning glacially formed lakes, and A.L.S. (1876 April 24, Montreal) to Huxley asking for the return of Dawson's reptilian slides.
SIA RU000026, Smithsonian Institution Office of the Secretary, Correspondence, 1863-1879
Smithsonian Institution. Office of the Secretary. Correspondence, 1863-1879
Title:
SIA RU000026, Smithsonian Institution Office of the Secretary, Correspondence, 1863-1879
This series consists mostly of correspondence addressed to Joseph Henry, much of which received his personal attention; also included are some copies of Henry letters, occasional returned original Henry letters, and a considerable number of letters to Spencer Fullerton Baird.
Smithsonian Archives. Ru 26: Office Of The Secretary, Incoming Corres..
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Dawson, John William, Sir, 1820-1899
creatorOf
Dawson-Harrington Families Fonds
Title:
Dawson-Harrington Families Fonds
The fonds documents the family of John William Dawson, geologist and Principal of McGill University, through four generations. Family members include James Dawson, a Scots immigrant to Nova Scotia, printer, stationer, unsuccessful investor and zealous Presbyterian; his son John William, the McGill principal from 1855 to 1893; John William's wife Margaret Mercer and their children, George Mercer Dawson, explorer, geologist, and Director of the Geological Survey; William Bell Dawson, an engineer; Rankine Dawson, M.D.; and Anna Lois Dawson: Also represented are Anna's husband, B.J. Harrington, consulting chemist and Professor at McGill University and their children; and Eva Dawson and her husband Hope Atkin.
American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIh 1892-1896
American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIh, 1892-1896
Title:
American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIh 1892-1896
This is part of the large inventory for the American Philosophical Society Archives. For complete information concerning this collection, please view the . Collection Description
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