Charles Eric "Chuck" Dawson Jr. (December 6, 1922 – February 11, 1993) was a Canadian-American ecologist, ichthyologist, and taxonomist.

He held expertise in gobies, flatfishes, and sand stargazers, and was considered "the ultimate authority" on pipefishes in the family Syngnathidae.

[1][2] Dawson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School in Florida.

[3] Dawson served in the Canadian Army during World War II, losing an eye in the Battle of Dieppe, France.

Over his long career, Dawson wrote 150 publications, the majority of which he was the sole author of.