US Congressman. Naturalist. A member of a distinguished American family, including Revolutionary War hero William Dawes, his father, Civil War Brigadier General Rufus Dawes and a brother, US Vice President Charles G. Dawes, he gained fame for his public service and generous contributions to help educate young people about the important role trees play in the environment. He was born in Marietta, Ohio and attended college there before pursuing careers in lumbering, engineering and the power industry. In 1904 he ran and won the first of two terms in Congress as a representative for Ohio's Fifteenth District. He served from 1905 to 1909. He did not seek reelection to a third term opting instead to become involved in the oil business as well as in the construction of electric railways. In 1914 he became president of the Pure Oil Company and remained in some type of leadership capacity with that company until his death. As a young man working in the lumber industry, Dawes developed a lifelong passion for trees. That love led him to establish an endowment and set aside land for a public garden near Newark, Ohio in order to "increase the general knowledge and love of trees and shrubs, and bring about an increase and improvement in their growth and culture." Today the internationally known Dawes Aboretum has records of close to 22,000 different types of shrubs and trees.

US Congressman. Naturalist. A member of a distinguished American family, including Revolutionary War hero William Dawes, his father, Civil War Brigadier General Rufus Dawes and a brother, US Vice President Charles G. Dawes, he gained fame for his public service and generous contributions to help educate young people about the important role trees play in the environment. He was born in Marietta, Ohio and attended college there before pursuing careers in lumbering, engineering and the power industry. In 1904 he ran and won the first of two terms in Congress as a representative for Ohio's Fifteenth District. He served from 1905 to 1909. He did not seek reelection to a third term opting instead to become involved in the oil business as well as in the construction of electric railways. In 1914 he became president of the Pure Oil Company and remained in some type of leadership capacity with that company until his death. As a young man working in the lumber industry, Dawes developed a lifelong passion for trees. That love led him to establish an endowment and set aside land for a public garden near Newark, Ohio in order to "increase the general knowledge and love of trees and shrubs, and bring about an increase and improvement in their growth and culture." Today the internationally known Dawes Aboretum has records of close to 22,000 different types of shrubs and trees.

Bio by: Bigwoo