Glenn Dawson

Dawson was born January 31, 1944 in Chicago.[1] He attended Annunciata grade school and George Washington High School. He attended college at Calumet College of St. Joseph. He also attended the Chicago Marine Navigation School. He became a licensed Master and First Class Marine Pilot with the United States Coast Guard.[2]

Dawson's business career has centered around maritime industries. In the 1980s, he owned Chicago Fleeting and Marine Repair Service, a firm which was later accused of inappropriately using public resources.[3] Dawson owns Chicago Cruises Company, which operates the Chicago Princess and the MV Chicago.[4] In 2000, it was revealed that one of his companies was misrepresented as a female owned business, costing its contracts with the City of Chicago.[5] As of 2013, he owns Dawson Marine Services.[6]

Dawson was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in the 1976 general election and sworn into office November 14, 1976.[7] After Dawson was elected to the Illinois Senate, Maragos resigned which allowed Dawson to take office a month early.[8] After the decennial reapportionment, Dawson was slated into a majority-black district, but was able to be re-slated by the district's committeemen.[9]

During his time in the legislature, he opposed additional landfills in Hegewisch, where he resided.[10]

He lost the 1986 Democratic primary to Howard Brookins, a State Representative from Washington Heights.[11] Dawson, who had once been considered heir apparent to Ed Vrdolyak's city council seat, chose to back Clem Balanoff in the 1987 aldermanic election after Ed's brother Victor Vrdolyak was appointed instead. Dawson had previously run against Balanoff for Democratic Committeeman as an Ed Vrdolyak ally after the latter switched to the Republican Party.[12]