Henry laurens dawes biography

Honorable Henry Laurens Dawes

Born in Cummington, Ma. On October 13, 1816 (October 30,1816?)
Died in Pittsfield ,Ma. On February 5, 1903

Graduated from Yale University in 1839

Studied Law

Admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1842

Republican

Represented North Adams in the Legislatures of 1848, 1849 and 1852

Constitutional Convention in 1853

1850 elected State Senator

1853 through 1857 was District Attorney for Western Massachusetts.

House of Representatives 1857 – 1875

Elected U.S. Senator 1875-1893

While in the House was the Chairman of the Vital Committees on Appropriations, Ways and Means as well as Elections. He also authored the Legislation bill to form the U.S. Weather Bureau.

While a Senator, fought for the American Indians. Chairman of the commission administering the tribal affairs of the “Five Civilized Tribes.”

​DAWES, HENRY LAURENS (1816–1903), American lawyer, was born at Cummington, Massachusetts, on the 30th of October 1816. After graduating at Yale in 1839, he taught for a time at Greenfield, Mass., and also edited The Greenfield Gazette. In 1842 he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law at North Adams, where for a time he conducted The Transcript. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1848–1849 and in 1852, in the state Senate in 1850, and in the Massachusetts constitutional convention in 1853. From 1853 to 1857 he was United States district attorney for the western district of Massachusetts; and from 1857–1875 he was a Republican member of the national House of Representatives. In 1875 he succeeded Charles Sumner as senator from Massachusetts, serving until 1893. During this long period of legislative activity he served in the House on the committees on elections, ways and means, and

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