Samuel Edward Dawson, CMG FRSC (June 1, 1833 – February 9, 1916) was a Canadian businessman, publisher, author, and civil servant. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of Benjamin Dawson and Elizabeth Gardner, Dawson moved with his family to Montreal in 1847. Dawson worked with his father in his father's bookstore called Benjamin Dawson and Son. After his father retired in 1860, Dawson went into a partnership with his brother and the firm was renamed Dawson Brothers. In 1889, Dawson left the firm. He died at his home in Westmont on February 9, 1916.