Charles I. Dawson papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Charles I. Dawson papers
- Date
- 1923-1969, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Dawson, Charles I., 1881-1969
- Extent
- 0.65 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Judges -- United States.
- Campaign literature -- Kentucky.
- Judicial process -- United States
- Prohibition -- United States.
- Temperance.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged alphabetically.
- Preferred Citation
- 1997ms113: [identification of item], Charles I. Dawson papers, 1923-1969, undated, bulk 1925-1969, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Judge Charles I. Dawson was the District Court Judge for the Western District of Kentucky from 1925 to 1935. Judge Dawson was born on February 12, 1881, in Crestwood, Kentucky to Steven and Frances Dawson. After graduating from public school in Russellville, Kentucky, he attended Bethel College for a year and then transferred to the University of Kentucky at Lexington. In 1903, Dawson read law in Russellville until his admission to the bar in 1905. After opening a law practice in town, Dawson was elected to one term in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1905. In 1910, he was elected as the Bell County Attorney, and he served in this capacity until 1920, when he was elected as the Commonwealth's Attorney General. In 1923, Dawson ran for Kentucky governor, a race he lost to William J. Fields. Two years later, President Calvin Coolidge appointed Dawson to the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Confirmation quickly followed, and he took the oath of office on February 2, 1925. On June 30, 1935, Dawson left the bench to practice law. Judge Dawson made a bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1950, losing to incumbent Kentucky Governor Earle C. Clements. He retired from his law practice in 1969, and died later that same year.
- Scope and Content
- The Charles I. Dawson papers (dated 1923-1969, undated; 0.65 cubic feet; 1 box, 1 oversize box) comprise correspondence, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, speeches, publications, ephemera, one scrapbook, case files, commemorative certificates, campaign materials, and personal legal files that document Judge Dawson's private life and his roles as a Kentucky politician, private attorney, and federal judge. The collection includes correspondence with John Sherman Cooper, Happy B. Chandler, Alice Lloyd, and University of Kentucky President Frank McVey.
- The majority of the collection consists of judicial case files created during Dawson's federal judgeship on Kentucky's Western District Court and includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, and grand jury instructions. Personal files in the collection include legal documents, certificates, photographs, and two tickets for travel on a steamer ship. Political files include correspondence with state and federal legislators, a publication from the National Republican Committee titled "Promise and Performance: The Administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt Reveals Itself", and a "Republican Committee on Programs" pin. Also present in the collection are materials regarding Dawson's involvement with the temperance movement, including his views on Prohibition.
- Processing Info
- The archivist disassembled the Woodward, Hobson and Fulton scrapbook and stored the leaves in two oversize folders in box 2.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Commemorative certificates, 1940-1969
Gubernatorial campaign ad, 1923
Home in Louisville, Ky (8x10 B/W), undated
Newspaper clippings, 1929-1933
Republican Committee on Program pin, undated
Rose Island boarding passes (1-2), undated
Woodward, Hobson and Fulton scrapbook (1-2), 1936-1955
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Special Collections Research Center - Closed
The Breckinridge Research Room will be closed starting May 11, 2026, and anticipates re-opening Fall semester 2026 in an alternate location for the duration of the King Library renovation.
Reproduction requests will still be available during the closure.
Contact SCRC with questions.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
