John W. Dawson

John W. Dawson ( born October 21, 1820 Cambridge, Wayne County, Indiana, † September 10, 1877 ) was an American lawyer, farmer, newspaper editor and politician ( Republican).

He ran unsuccessfully in 1854 for a seat in the House of Representatives from Indiana. He also failed then in 1856 with his candidature for the office of Secretary of State of Indiana, and then in 1858 for a seat in Congress. His political career began as a Democrat, but switched after a short time to the Republicans. President Abraham Lincoln appointed him in 1861 to the governor of the Utah territory, but he left due to tensions with the local Mormons after just three weeks his post. Dawson made ​​" crude and inappropriate requests " to the Mormon widow Albina Merrill Williams, who knocked him out with a fire shovel. When he offered her $ 3,000 for her silence, she rebuked him, so he left Salt Lake City New Year's Eve 1861 quickly.

Dawson took a stagecoach eastward and reached the Pony Express stop of Ephraim Hanks at Mountain Dell, Utah. Hanks Dawson assured that he would be safe there. However, it followed a group of young Mormons. Among them were Jason Luce, Matthew Luce, Wilford Luce, Wood Reynolds, Moroni Clawson, Lot Hungtington and Isaac Neibaur. At a subsequent night action they attacked him, robbed him, beat and kicked him up and castrated him allegedly too. Later they claimed that they were under direct orders from the Salt Lake Police Chief. Four of the youths were captured, the other three were shot while trying to flee from the police and sheriffs. Dawson later became known as the first biographer of John Chapman.

He died in 1877 and was subsequently buried in the Lindenwood Cemetery in Fort Wayne, Indiana.