William Levi Dawson was elected as a United States Representative from Illinois on November 3, 1942, and began his congressional service on January 3, 1943. He represented Illinois’s 1st District for over 27 years, from 1943 until his death in 1970. Notably, Dawson was the third African American elected to Congress in the 20th century and the first Black member to chair a standing congressional committee. His election marked a significant moment in the history of African American political representation in the United States.?
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