Frances Dawson (1904-1995) served Evanston as State Representative from 1956 until 1970. As legislator, Dawson worked for civil rights legislation, education reform and statewide welfare benefits. As chair of the House Education Committee, Dawson created a township equalizer plan to eliminate disparities in assessments, got state funding for constructing new schools, and increased state college scholarship funding for needy students. Locally, Dawson was active in the League of Women Voters, the Business and Professional Woman’s Club and the Lincolnwood Garden Club. She was president of the Woman’s Club of Evanston, the North End Mother’s Club and served on the District 202 School Board.
Frances Dawson (1904-1995) grew up in Iowa, attending Simpson College for her undergraduate degree. Dawson then moved to Evanston in 1929, where she received her M.A. at Northwestern University.
Dawson began to work on reform in Evanston, where she held the role of President of the Evanston League of Women Voters from 1943-1945. Additionally, she was on the Evanston Plan Commission from 1945-1950. From 1951-1957 Dawson served two terms on the Evanston Township High School District 202 Board. Then, in 1956 Dawson was elected to serve Evanston as State Representative of the 7th district in Illinois until 1970. Despite being a Republican and endorsed by the Chicago Sun-Times and Daily News, she was not initially endorsed by the Republican party. However, in 1960 she was a delegate to the Republican National Convention.
Dawson worked for civil rights legislation, education reform, and statewide welfare benefits as a legislator. As chair of the House Education Committee, Dawson created a township equalizer plan to eliminate assessment disparities, got state funding for constructing new schools, and increased state college scholarship funding for needy students. In 1969 Dawson worked at the White House Conference on Nutrition and Health.
Through her many public service positions, Dawson became involved in various local organizations such as the Business and Professional Woman’s Club, and the Lincolnwood Garden Club. She was president of the Woman’s Club of Evanston and the North End Mother’s Club.