Born in Bridgewater, Dawson contributed greatly as a scholar and teacher to an understanding of the Canadian political system and the development of the study of political science in this country. After studying in Nova Scotia and abroad he went on to teach at Dalhousie, Saskatchewan and Toronto. He wrote many books and articles on Canadian government among which The Government of Canada is particularly familiar to many generations of students. He retired from academic life in 1951 to work on a biography of Mackenzie King but completed only one volume before his death at Bridgewater.