 On September 5, 1912, Dawes's 21-year-old son Rufus drowned in Geneva Lake, while on summer break from Princeton University.In his memory, Dawes created homeless shelters in both Chicago and Boston, as well as helping to finance the construction of a dormitory at his son's alma mater, the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.Dawes helped support the first Anglo-French Loan to the Entente powers of $500 million.