Dawson, George Robert (1790–1856), politician, was born 24 December 1790 at Rutland Square, Dublin, second but eldest surviving son among six sons and five daughters of Arthur Dawson (1745–1822) of Castledawson, Dublin banker and politician, and his wife Catherine, daughter of George Paul Monck (MP for Coleraine 1763–8). He was educated at Harrow (1801–7) and Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated with a first-class BA (1811). This was followed by a year at Lincoln's Inn (1811–12). In his career he would owe much to the patronage of Robert Peel (qv), the future prime minister, whom he befriended in Oxford.
In 1812 he became private secretary to Peel, then Irish chief secretary, who encouraged him to enter parliament. He became MP for Co. Londonderry three years later (1815–30), returned unopposed. On 9 January 1816 he married Mary Peel, eldest daughter of Sir Robert Peel, 1st baronet, and sister of his friend. His maiden speech (26 April 1816) was on Ireland; he denied that catholic relief was the panacea for Irish problems and blamed agitators for stirring discontent. He voted consistently against relief when it was debated in May 1816, May 1817, and May 1819. In February 1819 he presented his constituents' petition for a revision of the Irish grand jury act before parliament, despite having supported the act himself. An enthusiastic defender of his brother-in-law, he was fined and imprisoned for a month in 1820 for threatening to horsewhip a man who had libelled him.
On 17 January 1822 he was appointed under-secretary for the home department. He lost office in 1827 but became financial secretary to the treasury on 28 January 1828. During this period his language on the catholic question was so extreme that Peel was obliged to ask him to moderate it. Suddenly and inexplicably, he underwent a dramatic transformation in his views. On 12 August 1828 he made a speech in parliament in favour of catholic emancipation, angering Peel (who was annoyed at the timing of the announcement) and causing some tensions with his wife. The speech is credited with increasing George IV's uncompromising attitude against emancipation, and the king informed Peel that Dawson must be insane.
In August 1830 attempts were made to persuade him to stand for election in Dublin, with great emphasis placed on his work for commercial interests, but he declined the offer. He was forced to resign his Londonderry seat on 26 November 1830, because of his position on the catholic question, four days after being made a privy councillor. He became MP for Harwich (1830–32) and on 24 December 1834 secretary for the admiralty (1834–7). When Peel became prime minister, he appointed Dawson commissioner for the customs on 29 December 1841, and later deputy chairman to the board of customs.
Dawson died at his house at Upper Grosvenor St., London, on 3 April 1856. He owned extensive property in Dublin, Kerry, and Cavan and had another house at Moyola Park, Co. Londonderry. He had five sons. His eldest child, Robert Peel Dawson, was high sheriff of Co. Londonderry (1850) and MP for the county (1859–74). Some of Dawson's papers are in PRONI, and his letters survive in Peel's papers in the British Library.