Richard A. Dawson

{{short description|African-American politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name =

| image =

| birth_name =

|state_house = Arkansas

|district = Jefferson County

|alongside = J. A. Hudson & William C. Payne{{cite book |last1= Priest |first1= Sharon |author-link1=Sharon Priest |editor1-last= Runnells |editor1-first= Jonathan |title= Historical Report of the Arkansas Secretary of State |year= 1998 |publisher= Office of the Arkansas Secretary of State |oclc= 40157815 |page=243 |ref={{harvid|"SOS"|1998}} }}

|term_start =January 13, 1879

|term_end = January 8, 1881{{harvp|"SOS"|1998|pp= 242-245}}.

|predecessor =

|successor =

| state_senate1 = Arkansas

| term_start1 = January 6, 1873

| term_end1 = November 10, 1874{{harvp|"SOS"|1998|pp= 238-239}}.

|district1 = 20th

|alongside1 = John M. Clayton{{harvp|"SOS"|1998|pp= 236-237}}.

|predecessor1 = (redistricted)

|successor1 = (redistricted)

|birth_date =1848

|birth_place = Virginia

|death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1906|||1848||}}

| death_place = Chicago, Illinois

| death_cause =

| resting_place =

| resting_place_coordinates =

| residence =

| nationality =

| other_names =

| known_for =

| education = Oberlin College
Old University of Chicago

| employer =

| occupation =

| title =

| salary =

| networth =

| term =

| party =Republican (until–1900)
Democrat (1900– death)

| boards =

| religion =

| spouse =

| children =

| parents =

| relatives =

| footnotes =

}}

Richard A. Dawson (1848 - 1906) was a lawyer and state legislator in Arkansas.{{Cite web|url=https://senate.arkansas.gov/senate-history-education/minorities-in-the-senate/|title=Minorities in the Arkansas Senate|website=Arkansas Senate}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oKjODwAAQBAJ&q=richard+a.+dawson+arkansas&pg=PT199|title=The Pioneers: Early African-American Leaders in Pine Bluff, Arkansas: Freedmen, Newly Freed, and First/Second Generation, Born from 1833-1892|first=Bettye J.|last=Williams|date=January 22, 2020|publisher=Archway Publishing|isbn=9781480871922|via=Google Books}} He was born in Virginia and his father was a minister. Dawson studied at Oberlin College,{{Cite web|url=https://arkansasblacklawyers.uark.edu/lawyers/dawson.html|title=Richard A. Dawson - Arkansas Black Lawyers|website=arkansasblacklawyers.uark.edu}} and received his law degree from the Old University of Chicago. Dawson practiced law in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and represented the area in the Arkansas General Assembly from 1873 to 1874 and from 1879 to 1881.