Editing Dawson, Georgia

{{short description|City in the United States}}
{{distinguish|Dawson County, Georgia|Dawsonville, Georgia}}
{{pp-pc}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
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|official_name            = Dawson, Georgia
|other_name = 
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|settlement_type          = [[City]]
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|image_skyline            = Dawson City Hall NE corner.jpg
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|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Terrell County, Georgia|Terrell County]] and the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
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|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Georgia (U.S. state)|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Terrell County, Georgia|Terrell]]
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|area_total_km2           = 9.72
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|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
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|population_total         = 4414
|population_density_km2   = 454.25
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|elevation_m              = 107
|elevation_ft             = 351
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]s
|postal_code              = 39842
|area_code                = [[Area code 229|229]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 13-21912<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
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}}

'''Dawson''' is a city in and the [[county seat]] of [[Terrell County, Georgia|Terrell County]], Georgia, United States. 
The population was 4,414 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]. Incorporated on December 22, 1857, the city is named for Senator [[William Crosby Dawson]].<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/d.pdf | title=Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins | publisher=Winship Press | author=Krakow, Kenneth K. | year=1975 | location=Macon, GA | pages=59 | isbn=0-915430-00-2}}</ref> Dawson is part of the [[Albany, Georgia]] [[Albany, Georgia metropolitan area|metropolitan statistical area]].

==History==
Dawson was founded in 1856 as seat of the newly formed [[Terrell County, Georgia|Terrell County]]. It was incorporated as a town in 1857 and as a city in 1872.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&pg=PA227 | title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States | publisher=Routledge | date=May 13, 2013 | access-date=30 November 2013 | author=Hellmann, Paul T. | pages=227| isbn=978-1135948597 }}</ref> Terrell was an important site in the 1960s, when the county in which it is located was labeled "Terrible Terrell" by the [[Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee|SNCC]]. [[Jackie Robinson]] helped raise money to rebuild three black churches that were burned in the area.

In 1976, five African-American youths were charged with the murder of a white customer in a roadside convenience store. The crime and pretrial proceedings garnered national attention.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dintenfass |first1=Andrew |last2=Canter |first2=Ron |title=Life and Death: Dawson, Georgia (1977) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF4X3I-o-2U&t=107s |website=youtube |publisher=WGBH Boston |access-date=20 February 2019 }}</ref> The five young men, one of whom was a juvenile, charged in the case were known as "[[Dawson Five|The Dawson Five]]". The court dropped the charges against the group of five; Roosevelt Watson, Henderson Watson, J.D. Davenport, Johnnie B. Jackson, and George Poor, when it found evidence of [[police misconduct]], including [[False confession|coerced confessions]], intimidation and improper identification procedures.<ref name="nyt1">{{cite web |last1=Wicker |first1=Tom |title=Still 'Terrible Terrell' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/08/14/archives/still-terrible-terrell.html |website=The New York Times |date=14 August 1977}}</ref>

==Geography==
Dawson is located in [[Southwest Georgia]]  along [[U.S. Route 82 in Georgia|U.S. Route 82]] and  [[Georgia State Route 520]] (Columbus Highway), which leads southeast 8&nbsp;mi (13&nbsp;km) to [[Sasser, Georgia|Sasser]] and northwest 9&nbsp;mi (14&nbsp;km) to [[Parrott, Georgia|Parrott]]. U.S. 82 leads west 21&nbsp;mi (34&nbsp;km) to [[Cuthbert, Georgia|Cuthbert]] and 47&nbsp;mi (76&nbsp;km) to [[Eufaula, Alabama]]. [[Albany, Georgia|Albany]] is 24&nbsp;mi (39&nbsp;km) southeast and [[Columbus, Georgia|Columbus]] is 63&nbsp;mi (101&nbsp;km) northwest.

The city is located at {{Coord|31|46|26|N|84|26|27|W|type:city}} (31.773969, -84.440870).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|3.7|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 521
|1870= 1099
|1880= 1576
|1890= 2284
|1900= 2926
|1910= 3827
|1920= 3504
|1930= 3827
|1940= 3681
|1950= 4411
|1960= 5062
|1970= 5383
|1980= 5699
|1990= 5295
|2000= 5058
|2010= 4540
|2020= 4414
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br> 1850-1870<ref name=1870CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1870|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-13.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1870-1880<ref name=1880CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1880|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1880/vol-01-population/1880_v1-09.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref><br> 1890-1910<ref name=1910CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1910 Census of Population - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1910|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-ga.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1920-1930<ref name=1930CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1930 Census of Population - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|pages=251–256}}</ref><br> 1940<ref name=1940CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1940 Census of Population - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1940|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1950<ref name=1950CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1950 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1950|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-2/37779083v2p11ch2.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1960<ref name=1960CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1960|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/vol-01-12-c.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 1970<ref name=1970CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1970|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1970a_ga-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1980<ref name=1980CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_gaABC-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1990<ref name=1990CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1990|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cph-5/cph-5-12.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 2000<ref name=2000CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 2000|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-12.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 2010|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-12.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Dawson racial composition as of 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US1321912&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-18|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]] (non-Hispanic)
|613
|13.89%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic)
|3,618
|81.97%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|6
|0.14%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|44
|1.0%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]]
|1
|0.02%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|88
|1.99%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|44
|1.0%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 4,414 people, 1,577 households, and 1,080 families residing in the city.

== Education ==
=== Terrell County School District ===
The [[Terrell County School District]] holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school.<ref>[http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=69&CountyId=735&T=0&FY=2009 Georgia Board of Education]{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Retrieved June 27, 2010.</ref> The district has 98 full-time teachers and over 1,764 students.<ref>[http://www.school-stats.com/GA/TERRELL/TERRELL_COUNTY.html School Stats], Retrieved June 27, 2010.</ref>
*Cooper-Carver Elementary School
*Terrell County Middle High School

=== Private education ===
*[[Terrell Academy]] - Founded as a [[segregation academy]] in response to the [[School integration in the United States|racial desegregation of public schools]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Equal educational opportunity: Hearings before the Select Committee on Equal Educational Opportunity, Ninety-first Congress, second session-92nd Congress, first session.|series=Hearings before the Select Committee on Equal Educational Opportunity |date=1970|page=2034|publisher=U.S. G.p.o. |hdl = 2027/umn.31951d017860197}}</ref>

=== Higher education ===
Nearby [[Albany, Georgia|Albany]] has two colleges to which students may easily commute: [[Albany State University]],<ref>[http://www.potentialrealized.org/ Albany State University], Retrieved June 27, 2010.</ref> and [[Albany Technical College]].<ref>[http://www.albanytech.edu/ Albany Technical College], Retrieved June 27, 2010.</ref>  To the west, in [[Cuthbert, Georgia|Cuthbert]], is historic [[Andrew College]].<ref>[http://andrewcollegecares.com/ Andrew College] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618133601/http://andrewcollegecares.com/ |date=June 18, 2010 }}, Retrieved June 27, 2010.</ref>  Also nearby is [[Georgia Southwestern State University]]<ref>[http://gsw.edu/main/ Georgia Southwestern State University] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706220823/http://gsw.edu/main/ |date=2010-07-06 }}, Retrieved June 27, 2010.</ref> in [[Americus, Georgia|Americus]].

==Notable people==
*[[Lucius D. Battle]] (1918–2008), ambassador to Egypt
*[[Murder of James Brazier|James Brazier]] (c. 1926–1958), African American murdered by police in Dawson
*[[Lawrence Carter (historian)|Lawrence Edward Carter Jr]]. (1941-), historian, professor, author, and civil rights expert. Dean of the [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] [[Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel|International Chapel at Morehouse]].
*[[Erle Cocke Jr.|Erle Cocke Jr]]. (1921–2000) businessman, [[U.S. National Guard]] general
*[[Wayland Flowers]] (1939–1988), puppeteer best known for his puppet known as "Madame"
*[[Bessie Jones (American singer)|Bessie Jones]] (1902–1984), gospel and folk singer
*[[Dawson Five]], five black Dawson residents who were wrongly charged with the 1976 murder of a white man; due to [[forced confession]] and other [[police misconduct]], the case was dropped in 1977.<ref name="nyt1" />
*[[Benjamin J. Davis Jr.]] (1903–1964), attorney who defended man trying to organize a union from insurrection charges; elected as New York City Councilman after move to New York; Communist Party leader in 1930s
*[[Robert J. Jones]] - Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; former President of the State University of New York at Albany
*[[Otis Redding]] (1941–1967), singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, and talent scout, considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American [[popular music]], [[soul music]], and [[rhythm and blues]].
*[[Cole Swindell]] (born 1983) American country music singer and songwriter
*[[Walter Washington]] - elected as first mayor of [[Washington, D.C.]] after the city was granted home rule by Congress

==References==
{{reflist|35em}}

==External links==
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF4X3I-o-2U&t=107s Life and Death: Dawson, Georgia - 1977 - 27 minutes - WGBH Boston]

{{Terrell County, Georgia}}
{{Georgia county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Cities in Terrell County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1857]]
[[Category:County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Albany metropolitan area, Georgia]]
[[Category:1857 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]