Representative Matthew Dawson Contact information

Rep. Matthew S. Dawson (D-Dist. 65, East Providence) was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives in November 2022.​ He is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Municipal Government and Housing Committee.

During his first legislative session in 2023, Representative Dawson introduced a new law which allows families affected by childhood lead poisoning to recover up to three times their actual damages if their landlord is found to have violated lead safety laws. He also introduced a bill which would eliminate the requirement of signing with an “X” on mail ballot applications for voters who cannot sign their name due to blindness, disability, or inability to read or write.​​

He graduated from East Providence High School, the University of Rhode Island, earning a degree in Journalism and Political Science in 1990, and the New England School of Law in 1995.

Born on January 12, 1968, Representative Dawson is a practicing attorn​ey at Lynch & Pine. He is currently a member of the RI Bar Association, the RI Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, and the RI Hospitality Association.

His past public service includes serving as a prosecutor for the RI Attorney General’s office from 1995-2011 where he served as Chief of the Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit and, later, as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. From 2012-2014 he served as a Probate Judge in East Providence. Representative Dawson was the 2019 Providence Journal’s People’s Choice Attorney of the Year and he served as President of the Rhode Island Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys from 2021 to 2022.

He lives in the Riverside section of East Providence with his wife of 27 years, Bethany, and his two daughters, Kelsea and Abby.