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[[Sir John William Dawson]] was born in 1820 in Pictou, [[Nova Scotia]] and raised Presbyterian. He studied at Edinburgh University in the 1840's, and was appointed Nova Scotia's first superintendent of education (1850-1853). Then from 1855-1893, he served as principal of [[McGill University]]. He died in 1899 in Montreal, [[Quebec]]. =Education=He earned his M.A. and LL.D. at Edinburgh University in 1856 and 1884, respectively. He also earned a LL.D. at McGill in 1857, and a D.C.L. at Bishop's College in 1881.
=Marriage=
In 1847, John married Margaret Ann Young Mercer (b. 1823 Scotland) at Saint Cuthberts in Edinburgh, [[Scotland]]. They had several children: * Dr. George Mercer Dawson (b. 1853 Pictou, N.S.)* William Bell Dawson (b. 1853 N.S.)* Eva Dawson (b. 1861 Montreal, QC)* Rankine Dawson** 1896 m. @ St. Michael's Church, Chester Square, London: Gloranna M. Coats. =Titles & Memberships===Awards==* Lyell Medal of Geological Society, 1881.* Created C.M.G., 1882.* Created Knight Bachelor, 1884. ==Leadership==* Charter Superintendent of Education of Nova Scotia, 1850.* Principal, McGill University, 1855.* President, American Association, 1882-3.* President, British Association, 1886.* President, Geological Association of America, 1893.* Hon. President, Natural History Society of Montreal (oldest scientific society in Canada)* Vice-President, British and Foreign Bible Society* President, Montreal Auxiliary Bible Society.
==Fellowships==* DrFellow, Geological Society of London, 1854. George Mercer Dawson (b* Fellow, Royal Society, London, 1862. 1853 Pictou* Fellow, NAcademy of Arts and Sciences, Boston.S* Fellow, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia.) * William Bell Dawson (bFellow, Geological Society of America. 1853 N* Associate, Academie Internationale de Geographe Botanique.S.) * Eva Dawson (bHon. 1861 MontrealFellow, QC) Edinburgh Geological Society.
==Honorary Memberships==
* Natural History Society, New Brunswick.
* Literary and Philosophical Society, Manchester.
* Maryland Academy.
* New York Academy of Science.
* Philosophical Society, Princeton.
* Philosophical Society, Leeds.
* Boston Society of Natural History.
* Geographical Society of Australia
* Nova Scotia Society of Mining Engineers
* Canadian Society of Civil Engineers
* Geological Association, Liverpool.
* Essex Institute, Salem.
* Societe Belge de Geologie, Palaeontologie,&c.
* Brooklyn Institute
* North-Western Historical and Literary Society, Iowa.
=Stations=Corresponding Memberships==* elected President @ Academy of Natural Science, Philadelphia.* Portland Society of Natural History * Nova Scotia Institute* Geological Society (the oldest scientific society in Canada), Manchester* Lyceum Natural History, New York.
=Bibliography=
==Papers==
* 150+ articles in the "Canadian Naturalist", "Journal of the Geological Society of London", etc. * ''Lower Carboniferous Formation of Nova Scotia"'', Quarterly Journal, 1843.
** initiated communicated by Sir Charles Lyell to the Geological Society of London
* 150+ articles ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=QtR-AN8XJ1oC Natural History in its Educational Aspects]'', 1857.** extracts from the intro lecture of the Popular course of the "Canadian Naturalist"Natural History Society of Montreal, Winter of 1856-7.* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=VUxPeiMgiN8C Alpine and Arctic Plants]''** Lecture @ YMCA Montreal, "Journal Feb. 1862.* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Zws5AAAAMAAJ The Geological History of the Geological Society North Atlantic]''** Presidential Address, British Association for the Advancement of Science. Birmingham Meeting, Sept. 1886.* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=xr9OtPEJOiEC New Species of London"Fossil Sponges from Little Metis]; Montreal: Dawson Bros., etc1888.
==Books==
* "''Geography and Natural History of Nova Scotia"''* "''Contributions to the Improvement of Agriculture"''* "''[https://books.google.com/books?id=CyA-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false Acadian Geology"]'', Edinburgh: , 1855.* "''[https://books.google.com/books?id=KUTxBwGbyEcC Archaia, or Studies of the Narrative of Creation in the Hebrew Scriptures"]'', London: 1855Sampson Low, Son & Co., 1860.** revised as "''[https://archive.org/details/originofworldacc00daws The Origin of the World"]'', New York: Harper & Bros. Pub., 1877.* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=FSA-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false Air-Breathers of the Coal Period]: A Descriptive Account of the Remains of Land Animals Found in the Coal Formation of Nova Scotia'', Montreal: Dawson, 6th edBrothers, Great St. James Street: 1863. 1893* "''[https://archive.org/details/storyofearthman00dawsrich/page/n9/mode/2up The Story of the The Earth"and Man]'', 1870. ** Eleven editions.* "''[https://books.google.com/books?id=R_puiNKFTnMC Handbook of Zoology], Vol. 1: Invertebrata. Montreal: Dawson Bros., 1870.* ''Notes on the Post-pliocene of Canada'', 1870.** based on a series of papers in the Canadian Naturalist. Some of his notes were also included in 1863 for Logan's ''Geology of Canada''.* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=IQja8B252sMC The Bible and Science]''; London: Richard D. Dickinson, 1875.** Six lectures delivered at the Madison Ave. Presby. Church, New York.* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=09qPCM_5kgIC Nature and the Bible"]'', New York: CartersRobert Carter and Bros., 1875.
** based on lectures given in the winter of 1874-1875 at Union Theological Seminary of New York, and Princeton.
* "Facts ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=GFpmAAAAcAAJ&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false The Dawn of Life], being the History of the Oldest Known Fossil Remains'', London: Hodder and Fancies in Natural Science"Stoughton, Philadelphia: Crozer Institute1875.* "Links in the ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=3NI96hv56OgC The Chain of Life"in Geological Time]'', London: Religious Tract Society, 1880.* "''[https://archive.org/details/fossilmentheirmo00dawsrich Fossil Men and their Modern Representation"Representatives]'', London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1880.*''[https://archive.org/details/factsfanciesinmo01daws Facts and Fancies in Natural Science]'', Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1882.* one ''[https://archive.org/details/geologicalhistor00daws The Geological History of Plants]''. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1888.* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=1A68AAAAIAAJ Handbook of Geology for the best use of Canadian Students''. Montreal: Dawson Bros., 1889.* ''[https://books Sir .google.com/books?id=KMD-NeWUVNgC Modern Ideas of Evolution as related to Revelation and Science]''. London: The Religious Tract Society, 1890. * ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=t5_Tuz62jNMC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false The Ice Age in Canada]'', Montreal: William V. Dawson wrote, according to his autobio1893.* "''[https://books.google.com/books?id=McALAQAAIAAJ&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false The Dawn Meeting-Place of Life"Geology and History]''. New York & Chicago & Toronto: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1894.* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=EvTLudQLNNYC Peter Redpath: In Memoriam]''; Montreal: 1888"Witness" Printing House, 1894.* "''[https://books.google.com/books?id=_0gJAAAAIAAJ Some Salient Points in the Science of the Earth", London]''. New York: Hodder and StoughtonHarper Bros. Pub., 18931894.* "''[https://books.google.com/books?id=cdFoSc5oRZ0C Relics of Primeval Life"]''. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1897.
** based on six lectures given in 1896 in Boston at the Lowell Institute, by invitation of Augustus Lowell.
=Also SeeSources=* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_William_Dawson Wikipedia]* ''Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography 1600-1899'', pp. 127-128* "''[https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/KSUOAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP1 Fifty Years of Scientific & Educational Work in Canada"]: Being Autobiographical Notes by Sir William Dawson, C.M.G., LL.D., F.R.S.'', ed. by Rankine Dawson, M.A., M.D., M.R C.S.E., Edinburgh & London: Ballantyne, Hanson & Co., 1901.
** Sir Dawson's autobiography, published post-humously by his sons.