“D” is for Dawson, Francis Warrington (1840-1889). Journalist. A native of England, Dawson was an adventurer who espoused the Confederacy during the Civil War. He ran the blockade and served in the Confederate army. After the war he worked for a Richmond newspaper, but then moved to Charleston. He and a friend acquired the Charleston News and in 1873 they purchased the Charleston Courier and combined the two papers as the News and Courier. Dawson became editor. The newspaper became known for the speed and accuracy of its reporting—and for its editorial espousing sometimes controversial causes: including Republican Daniel Chamberlain for governor in 1876 and, initially, Ben Tillman’s agrarian campaign. In his editorials he denounced dueling and fiercely opposed lynching, Francis Warrington Dawson was a leading New South advocate who promoted industrialization and agricultural reform.
“D” is for Dawson, Francis Warrington (1840-1889)
