Joseph Lafayette Rawlins (March 28, 1850 - May 24, 1926) was a delegate from the Territory of Utah and a Senator from Utah. Rawlins was born at Mill Creek, Salt Lake County, Utah on March 28, 1850.
He pursued a classical course at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. He was a professor at the University of Deseret, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1873-1875. He then studied law; he was admitted to the bar in 1875, and he commenced practice in Salt Lake City, Utah.
He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-third Congress (March 4, 1893 - March 3, 1895). He was then an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1894 to the Fifty-fourth Congress. He was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1897, to March 3, 1903. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination.
Afterwards, he continued the practice of law. In 1921, he withdrew from public life and active business, and he died in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 24, 1926. He is buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery.
