John Dawson (botanist)

Dawson was born in Eketāhuna on 1 February 1928 to Walter and Winifred Dawson, and was the youngest of 4 sons. He was educated at Eketahuna District High School and Christchurch Boys' High School. He was then awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, and undertook doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley, from where he gained a PhD in January 1958. In 1958, Dawson married Judith Macken, and the couple went on to have three children. ==Career==

In 1957, Dawson was appointed to the faculty of the Department of Botany at Victoria University College (from 1962 known as Victoria University of Wellington), and remained there until his retirement in 1988, having risen to the rank of associate professor. He served as head of the Botany Department between 1984 and 1987. and he also studied New Caledonian flora from the family Myrtaceae. Dawson's book, ''New Zealand's Native Trees'', co-written with Rob Lucas, was named "Book of the Year" at the 2012 New Zealand Post Book Awards. ==Death==

Dawson died in Wellington on 11 March 2019. ==References==