John Dawson, 1st Earl Of Portarlington

John Dawson, 1st Earl of Portarlington, PC (Ire), was born on 23 August 1744 in Northamptonshire, England. He was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer, and the only surviving son of William Dawson, 1st Viscount Carlow, and Mary Damer. His family background includes notable relatives such as his paternal grandfather Ephraim Dawson, who was a Member of Parliament for Portarlington and Queen's County in the Irish House of Commons, and was a successful banker who acquired an estate at Portarlington, County Laois. Ephraim Dawson's wife was Anne Preston, daughter of Samuel Preston. On his maternal side, John Dawson's grandfather was Joseph Damer, and his uncle was Joseph Damer, 1st Earl of Dorchester.

Between 1766 and 1768, Dawson served as a Member of Parliament for Portarlington in the Irish House of Commons. In 1768, he was elected to represent Queen's County. He resigned his seat upon inheriting his father’s peerage in 1779, transitioning from the Irish House of Commons to the Irish House of Lords. On 21 June 1785, Dawson was elevated to the peerage as the Earl of Portarlington in the Peerage of Ireland. From 1779 until his death, he held the position of Governor of Queen’s County and was responsible for raising the Queen's County Militia, becoming its first Colonel on 23 April 1793. The regiment gained a reputation for being well-regarded under his leadership. In 1796, Dawson was appointed to the Privy Council of Ireland.

On 1 January 1778, Dawson married Lady Caroline Stuart (1750–1813), the fifth daughter of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763, and Mary Wortley-Montagu, Baroness Mount Stuart of Wortley. Their marriage produced five sons and four daughters. Their children included:

- John Dawson, 2nd Earl of Portarlington (1781–1845), who inherited the earldom but died unmarried and without issue.

- Lady Caroline Elizabeth Dawson-Damer (1782–1861), who married Henry Parnell, 1st Baron Congleton.

- Lady Louisa Mary Dawson (1783–1845), who married Rev. Walter Davenport Bromley.

- Hon. Henry Dawson-Damer (1786–1841), a Captain in the Royal Navy, married Eliza Moriarty.

- Hon. George Lionel Dawson-Damer (1788–1856), a Colonel and Member of Parliament for Portarlington and Dorchester, married Mary Georgiana Emma Seymour.

- Lady Mary Harriet Dawson (c.1790–1827), married Very Rev. Hon. Henry David Erskine.

- Hon. Lionel Charles Dawson (1790–1842), married Lady Elizabeth Emily Nugent.

- Hon. William Mackenzie Dawson (1793–1859), married Patience Scott and later Louisa Frances Wright, then Julia Hopkinson.

- Lady Anna Maria Dawson (1795–1866), who died unmarried.

John Dawson, 1st Earl of Portarlington, died on 30 November 1798. His eldest son predeceased him, leaving the earldom to his grandson Henry Dawson-Damer (1822–1889). Henry was married to Lady Alexandrina Octavia Maria Vane, daughter of Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry.