Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Categories: 1818 births | 1902 deaths | Historical Members of the Canadian House of Commons | Ontario MPPs | Civil engineers
Simon James Dawson
Simon James Dawson (June 23, 1818– October 30, 1902) was a Canadian civil engineer and politician.
Born in Redhaven , Scotland, Dawson emigrated to Canada as a young man and began his career as an engineer. In 1857, as a member of a Canadian government expedition, he surveyed a line of road from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Fort Garry and further explored that area in 1858 and 1859. His report greatly stimulated Canadian interest in the West. In 1868, he began construction of a wagon and water route following his earlier survey. The Dawson road was traversed in 1870 by the Wolseley Expedition under the command of Colonel Garnet Wolseley sent to preserve order during the first Riel uprising, the Red River Rebellion.
Dawson represented Algoma in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1875 to 1878 and in the Canadian House of Commons from 1878 to 1891. He died in Ottawa in 1902.
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