Joseph G. Dawson III, Ph.D.

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Joseph G. Dawson III

Joseph G. Dawson III, Ph.D.


Professor Joseph G. Dawson III taught at Texas A&M University in College Station from 1985 to his retirement in 2018. During 2012-2013 he served as the Charles B. Ewing Chair and Visiting Professor of History at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Dawson was honored to be selected as a Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association in 2013. His publications include an essay on “The Army of the Texas Republic,” in Single Star of the West: The Republic of Texas, edited by Kenneth Howell and Charles Swanlund (2017), and an essay about Texas on the eve of the Second World War in Texas and Texans in World War II, edited by Christopher Bean (2022). Among his other publications, Dawson edited The Texas Military Experience: From the Texas Revolution through World War II (1995). He earned his Ph.D. in History from Louisiana State University in 1978.

TSHA Awards

Commemorating 250 years of American independence through the stories, people, and places that shaped Texas and the nation.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Texans have a unique opportunity to reflect on the state’s role in the American story. Through exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and community events across Texas, Texas America250 encourages celebration, reflection, and commemoration at both local and statewide levels. At the Texas State Historical Association, we are proud to support this important moment through our mission-driven work in history education and public engagement, including Texas History Day, and we invite students, educators, and communities to explore this milestone in meaningful ways.

On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Long may these ideals live in the heart of every Texan and every American. May God bless all who have defended our freedoms that we enjoy each day. And God bless the United States of America.

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

Commemorating 250 years of American independence through the stories, people, and places that shaped Texas and the nation.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, Texans have a unique opportunity to reflect on the state’s role in the American story. Through exhibitions, programs, educational initiatives, and community events across Texas, Texas America250 encourages celebration, reflection, and commemoration at both local and statewide levels. At the Texas State Historical Association, we are proud to support this important moment through our mission-driven work in history education and public engagement, including Texas History Day, and we invite students, educators, and communities to explore this milestone in meaningful ways.

On July 4, 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Long may these ideals live in the heart of every Texan and every American. May God bless all who have defended our freedoms that we enjoy each day. And God bless the United States of America.

Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas

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