Richard Dawson (Irish politician, born 1855)

{{Short description|Irish barrister and Conservative politician}}

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Richard Dawson (1855–1923) was an Irish barrister and Conservative politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Leeds East from November 1885 until July 1886.

Biography

Dawson was born at Limerick,British Census 1881 RG11 2505/56 p7 in 1855,{{Cite web|url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/people/mr-richard-dawson/index.html|title=Mr Richard Dawson (Hansard)|website=api.parliament.uk}} the son of Richard Dawson of Bunratty, County Clare. He was educated at Hertford College, Oxford and became a barrister.{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/debrettshouseo1886londuoft|title=Debrett's House of Commons|date=20 May 1867|publisher=London Dean|via=Internet Archive}}

Henry Chaplin was reportedly in Leeds on the evening of 21 November 1885 for a meeting of Conservatives held in the Albert Hall, Leeds, in support of the candidature of Dawson who was seeking the suffrages of the electors of Leeds East in the Conservative interest in the 1885 general election.{{cite news |title=Mr Chaplin in Leeds |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/search/results?basicsearch=leeds%20conservative%20%20%20%20chaplin%20&somesearch=leeds%20conservative%20chaplin&exactsearch=false&place=leeds%2c%20yorkshire%2c%20england&retrievecountrycounts=false&mostspecificlocation=leeds%2c%20yorkshire%2c%20england&sortorder=score |access-date=26 December 2023 |publisher=Leeds Mercury |date=23 November 1885 |quote=Mr Chaplin in Leeds. On Saturday evening a meeting of Conservatives was held in the Albert Hall, Leeds, in support of the candidature of Mr. Richard Dawson, who is seeking the suffrages of the electors of East Leeds in the Conservative interest ...}} Subsequently, Dawson was elected Member of Parliament for Leeds East, his election agent being J.W. Middleton.{{cite journal |title= J.W. Middleton, Esq. |journal =The Law Times|date=6 August 1887 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mB1CAQAAMAAJ&dq=J+W+Middleton++Leeds++conservative+agent++dawson&pg=PA266 |quote= Middleton was a staunch Conservative, and was election agent to Mr. Richard Dawson in the two contests in East Leeds in 1885 and 1886.}}{{cite book |title=Kelly's directory of Hartlepool and West Hartlepool. 1st, 2nd |date=1885 |publisher=Kelly's Directories |page=12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=su0NAAAAQAAJ&dq=richard+dawson++Leeds+Viscount+Chaplin&pg=PA12 |access-date=15 May 2023}} With Middleton again as his election agent, Dawson lost the seat against the trend in the 1886 general election. From 1885 to 1886, Dawson was private secretary to fellow Conservative politician Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin who was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and a life-long friend of the Prince of Wales.{{cite web |last1=Newlin |first1=G. |title=Understanding Great Expectations |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZhTHEAAAQBAJ&dq=Viscount+Chaplin+Prince+of+wales&pg=PA59 |publisher=Greenwood |access-date=14 May 2023 |pages=59 |date=2000}}