John W. Dawson (December 20, 1902 – January 6, 1986) was an American amateur golfer and golf course architect. Dawson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Although he was a lifelong amateur golfer, his amateur status was rescinded by the United States Golf Association (USGA) for a time due to his employment with the Spalding sporting goods company. His amateur status was eventually restored and he competed in several USGA events. He was runner-up (at the age of 44) to Skee Riegel in 1947 U.S. Amateur. He played on the winning 1949 Walker Cup team. He was also runner-up in 1958 U.S. Senior Amateur