William L. Dawson Politician

William Levi Dawson (April 26, 1886 – November 9, 1970) was an African-American politician who represented Chicago, Illinois for more than 27 years in the United States House of Representatives. In the 1940s he was active in the civil rights movement and sponsored registration drives. After 1952 he became closely aligned with the Democratic city machine, collaborating often with Mayor Richard J Daley. In a new role he focused on patronage for his constituents and avoided involvement in civil rights issues, and gave no support to the efforts of Martin Luther King, Jr. to shake up city politics.