William Audley Rawson was a Republican member of both houses of the Michigan Legislature, representing portions of the Thumb from 1935 through 1946.

He was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives for Tuscola County in 1934, where he served four terms.

After retiring from political office, Rawson was a lobbyist for the Michigan Association of Insurance Companies.

The trust fund also helped establish the Rawson Memorial Library in Cass City in 1970.

Rawson died of a heart attack in Pinellas Park, Florida on September 27, 1981, aged 88.