Henry L. Dawes

Henry Laurens Dawes
United States Senator from Massachusetts
In office March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1893
Preceded by	William B. Washburn
Succeeded by	Henry Cabot Lodge
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts
In office March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1875
Preceded by	Mark Trafton
Succeeded by	Chester W. Chapin
Constituency	11th district (1857–1863) 10th district (1863–1873) 11th district (1873–1875)
Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the Berkshire district
In office 1850
Preceded by	John Z. Goodrich William A. Phelps
Succeeded by	Richard P. Brown Asa G. Welch
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office 1848–1849 1852
Personal details
Born	(1816-10-30)October 30, 1816 Cummington, Massachusetts, US
Died	February 5, 1903(1903-02-05) (aged 86) Pittsfield, Massachusetts, US
Political party	Republican
Children	5
Alma mater	Yale University
Profession	Lawyer and Doctor
Signature

Henry Laurens Dawes (October 30, 1816 – February 5, 1903) was an attorney and politician, a Republican United States Senator and United States Representative from Massachusetts. He is notable for the Dawes Act (1887), which was intended to stimulate the assimilation of Native Americans by ending the tribal government and control of communal lands. Especially directed at the tribes in Indian Territory, it provided for the allotment of tribal lands to individual households of tribal members, and for their being granted United States citizenship. This also made them subject to state and federal taxes. In addition, extinguishing tribal land claims in this territory later enabled the admission of Oklahoma as a state in 1907.