Dawson, William L. (William Levi), 1886-1970

DAWSON, William Levi, a Representative from Illinois; born in Albany, Dougherty County, Ga., April 26, 1886; attended the public schools and Kent College of Law, Chicago, Ill.; was graduated from Albany (Ga.) Normal School in 1905, Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn., in 1909, and Northwestern University Law School, Evanston, Ill.; during the First World War served overseas as a first lieutenant with the Three Hundred and Sixty-fifth Infantry 1917-1919; was admitted to the bar in 1920 and commenced practice in Chicago, Ill.; State central committeeman for the First Congressional District of Illinois 1930-1932; alderman for the second ward of Chicago 1933-1939 and Democratic committeeman since 1939; elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-eighth and to the thirteen succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1943, until his death November 9, 1970, in Chicago, Ill.; chairman, Committee on Expenditures in Executive Departments (Eighty-first and Eighty-second Congresses), Committee on Government Operations (Eighty-fourth through Ninety-first Congresses); cremated; ashes placed in Columbarium in Griffin Funeral Home, Chicago, Ill.

<p>The third African American elected to Congress in the 20th century and the first black Member to chair a standing committee, William L. Dawson served in the House of Representatives for nearly three decades. A product of the influential Chicago Democratic machine, Dawson remained loyal to the organization and the political party that propelled his long congressional career. Committed to the cause of civil rights, Dawson recognized the importance of "forceful but behind–the–scenes action through regular political channels." His reserved demeanor and his reluctance to alienate the political establishment led many African–American leaders of the era to question his commitment to civil rights reform and undermined his role as a national leader in the movement for racial equality. Dawson, who described himself as a "congressman first and a Negro second," avoided highlighting his race, preferring instead to build a base of power using the established seniority system of the House of Representatives.</p>

<p>William Levi Dawson was born in Albany, Georgia, on April 26, 1886, to Levi Dawson, a barber, and Rebecca Kendrick. William had six siblings. He credited his father and sister with keeping his family together after his mother died when he was a child. Upon graduating from Albany Normal School in 1905, Dawson worked his way through Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, as a porter and a waiter. He graduated in 1909 with a bachelor's degree, and three years later he moved to Chicago. After attending Kent College of Law and Northwestern University—both in Chicago—Dawson enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War I. In 1917 he became a first lieutenant with the 365th Infantry of the American Expeditionary Force. After returning to Chicago, he resumed his studies at Northwestern and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1920. Dawson married Nellie Brown on December 20, 1922, and the couple had two children, William Dawson, Jr., and Barbara.</p>

<p>Dawson represented the GOP when he entered the Chicago political scene. In 1928, he waged an unsuccessful bid in the Republican primary against incumbent Martin Madden for the urban congressional district that encompassed much of the black population residing on Chicago's South Side. Undeterred by the loss, Dawson continued to pursue a career in politics. He became an ally of Chicago's first African–American alderman, Oscar De Priest, who won a special election to fill the vacancy left by Representative Madden's death in 1928. In 1933, with De Priest's critical backing, Dawson won election to the Chicago city council. Two years later, backed by Chicago's Democratic Mayor, Edward J. Kelly, Dawson won re–election to a four–year term; he served a total of six years as an alderman. In his second attempt to win a House seat in 1938—an off–year election in which Republicans ran well nationally—Dawson earned the Republican nomination by defeating De Priest but lost to Democratic incumbent Arthur W. Mitchell in the general election, 53.4 to 46.6 percent. Dawson's support from the Democratic mayor and his decision to challenge De Priest reflected the pull of the Democratic Party on Chicago blacks, the lure of patronage rewards within the Democratic machine, and a general impatience with the old guard of black leaders tied to the GOP. Having challenged his mentor, Dawson effectively severed his ties to leading black Republicans, who passed him over for the party nomination for another term on the city council. Running as an Independent, he failed to secure re–election.</p>

<p>William Levi Dawson (April 26, 1886 – November 9, 1970) was an American politician and lawyer who represented a Chicago, Illinois district for more than 27 years in the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1943 to his death in office in 1970. In 1949, he became the first African American to chair a congressional committee.</p>

<p>Born in segregated Georgia, Dawson attended Fisk University in Tennessee and Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago. He served as an officer in the segregated U.S. Army in World War I. Back in Chicago, he became a successful lawyer and community leader.</p>

<p>Like his two predecessors representing Illinois' 1st District, when Dawson was first elected in 1942, he was the only African American in Congress. He was active in the civil rights movement and sponsored registration drives. In the late 1940s he successfully opposed efforts to re-segregate the military.</p>

<p>Dawson was the first African American to chair a committee in the United States Congress, when he chaired the Committee on Expenditures in Executive Departments. He served as Chair of that committee and its successor for most of the years between 1949 and 1970. After 1952, Dawson also became closely aligned with the Democratic city machine in Chicago, collaborating often with Mayor Richard J. Daley. In this role, he focused on patronage and services for his constituents. He gave no support to the efforts of Martin Luther King Jr. to shake up city politics in the late 1960s</p>