Dawn Clark Netsch (born September 16, 1922) was born in Cincinatti, Ohio. She is an American politician. She is considered to be a liberal Democrat. She attended Northwestern University in Chicago where she graduated magna cum laude in 1952. She later ended up teaching law at the university. She was the 1994 Democratic nominee for Illinois governor.

In 1970, she was elected to be a delegate at the Illinois Constitutional Convention which took place later that year. In 1973, she was elected to the State Senate as a Democrat, first representing the 13th district, then the 4th district.

In 1990, she ran for and won the Democratic party's nomination for Illinois State Comptroller, and won the general election beating Republican Sue Suter 54% to 46%.

Four years later, in 1994, she won a come from behind victory in the Democratic primary for Illinois governor, upsetting Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris and Cook County Board President Richard Phelan by winning more than 10 points ahead of Burris. Netsch had been behind in the polls a few weeks earlier.

She proposed a 42% tax increase to pay for educational funding, a plan which was attacked by her Republican opponent, Governor Jim Edgar. Edgar's popularity, combined with the 1994 Republican sweep was too much for Netsch. She lost, suffering the worst defeat in state history, getting only 34% of the vote.

Netsch is currently a professor of Law Emeritus at Northwestern University, and is married to famed architect Walter Netsch.