| William M. O. Dawson | |
| Order1: | 12th |
| Office1: | Governor of West Virginia |
| Term Start1: | March 4, 1905 |
| Term End1: | March 4, 1909 |
| Predecessor1: | Albert B. White |
| Successor1: | William E. Glasscock |
| Office2: | Secretary of State of West Virginia |
| Term Start2: | 1897 |
| Term End2: | 1905 |
| Governor2: | George W. Atkinson Albert B. White |
| Preceded2: | William E. Chilton |
| Succeeded2: | Charles W. Swisher |
| Birth Date: | May 21, 1853 |
| Birth Place: | Bloomington, Maryland |
| Death Place: | Charleston, West Virginia |
| Profession: | Politician |
| Party: | Republican |
| Signature: | Signature of William Mercer Owens Dawson (1853–1916).png |
William Mercer Owens Dawson (May 21, 1853March 12, 1916) was the 12th Governor of West Virginia, serving from 1905 until 1909. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as Secretary of State of West Virginia from 1897 until 1905.
William M. O. Dawson was born in Bloomington, Maryland on May 21, 1853.[1] He married Luda Neff in 1879. After her death, he remarried to Maude Brown in 1899.[2]
He died in Charleston, West Virginia on March 12, 1916.[2]