Dawson, Mitchell, 1890-1956.

Chicago lawyer, poet, and author.

Mitchell Dawson was born in Chicago, Illinois on May 13, 1890. Dawson graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1913. He eventually joined his father's successful law firm and continued to practice law until two years before his death in 1956. Alongside his legal work, Dawson pursued a career in writing, in which he achieved varying levels of success. It was during a stint in the Army Intelligence Corps during World War I while living on the East Coast that Dawson made the acquaintance of such literary figures as William Carlos Williams and Alfred Kreymborg. Starting in the 1920s, Dawson began writing an amusing legal advice column called "Advice of Counsel" which appeared in the Chicago Daily News from 1926-1931. He published only one book in his lifetime, the children's book The Magic Firecrackers, in 1949.

From the description of Mitchell Dawson papers, 1810-1988. (Newberry Library). WorldCat record id: 72843894