William L. Dawson, who served in Congress from 1943 through 1970, was the first African American to chair a standing House committee—the Expenditures in the Executive Departments Committee, later renamed the Government Operations Committee. Later in his career, civil rights activists accused him of placing his loyalty to the Democratic Party above his commitment to fighting racial inequality. Dawson, who described himself as a “congressman first and Negro second,” avoided highlighting his race, preferring instead to build a base of power using the established seniority system of the House.
