Dawson, George Mercer (1849-1901), was a Canadian geologist and the son of the geologist Sir John William Dawson. George Dawson joined the Geological Survey of Canada in 1875 and became its director in 1895. The Survey published much of his work, including the first detailed investigations of the geology and natural resources of British Columbia and Yukon. Dawson also published geographical descriptions of Canada and was coauthor of a study of Indian languages. During the 1870's, he called attention to the rich beds of dinosaur fossils in Alberta.