David Catchings Dickson (February 25, 1818 – June 5, 1880) was an American politician and physician in early
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
who served as the ninth
Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives. The Speaker's main duties are to conduct meetings of the House, appoint committees, and enforce the Rules of the House. The current s ...
and as the fourth
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and control ...
. He was also a
State Senator and unsuccessfully ran for
governor of Texas
The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...
.
Dickson was born in
Pike County, Mississippi
Pike County is a county located on the southwestern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,324. The county seat is Magnolia. Pike County is named for explorer Zebulon Pike.
Pike County is part of ...
. In 1830, Dickson’s family moved to
Georgetown, Copiah County, Mississippi, where he married Sophronia L. Magee. Dickson attended medical school in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
, and after graduating in 1841, moved, as part of a large group, to the
Montgomery County, Texas, community of
Anderson
Anderson or Andersson may refer to:
Companies
* Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910
* Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car
* Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer
* Anderson ...
(present-day
Grimes County). Dickson served as a surgeon for the
Army of the Republic of Texas
The Texas Army, officially the Army of the Republic of Texas, was the land warfare branch of the Texas Military Forces during the Republic of Texas. It descended from the Texian Army, which was established in October 1835 to fight for independenc ...
. He served as a
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
for Montgomery County beginning in 1845.
Sometime before 1850, Dickson had remarried, to the former Nancy Ann E. Magee.
Dickson served in the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
in the
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
,
Third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
, and
Fourth Texas Legislature
The Fourth Texas Legislature met from November 3, 1851 to February 7, 1853 in its regular session and one called session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1850.
Sessions
* 4th ...
s. In the Fourth Legislature, Dickson was elected
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
, defeating fellow representative
Hardin Richard Runnels
Hardin Richard Runnels (August 30, 1820 – December 25, 1873) was a United States politician. He served as the sixth Governor of Texas for one term but notably was the only person to ever defeat Sam Houston in a political contest.
Early lif ...
30 votes to 27 on the tenth ballot.
In his acceptance speech, Dickson promised to work on eliminating debts incurred by the Republic of Texas and passed on to the state.
In
1853, he was elected lieutenant governor on the
Democratic ticket with governor
Elisha M. Pease. In
1855, with the backing of the
American Party (better known as the “Know Nothings”), he ran for governor against
Pease but was defeated by a large margin.
Dickson later returned to the state House, in 1859, for the
Eighth Texas Legislature
The Eighth Texas Legislature met from November 7, 1859 to April 9, 1861 in its regular session, a first called session, and an adjourned session. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected i ...
.
On November 16, 1859, he moved that an interpreter be provided for Representative Basilio Benavides of
Webb County
Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 267,114. Its county seat is Laredo. The county was named after James Webb (1792–1856), who served as secretary of the treasury, secreta ...
, an action which prompted outcry from the ''
Dallas Herald
Two newspapers of general circulation in Dallas, Texas (USA) have operated under the name ''Dallas Herald''.
First ''Dallas Herald'' (1849-1885)
The first permanent settler of Dallas, John Neely Bryan, settled there in 1841. The first local n ...
.'' By the end of the Legislature, Dickson had decided not to run again for a House seat.
Dickson served as an officer of the local militia company during the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, but when State Senator
Anthony Martin Branch stepped down to serve in the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
in 1862, Dickson was elected to complete Branch’s term in the
Texas State Senate
The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per cons ...
.
After the war, he was appointed financial agent of the
State Penitentiary in
Huntsville
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in th ...
by Governor
James Webb Throckmorton and served in that capacity from 1866-67. During his time in Huntsville, Dickson attended to the inmates when a
yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
outbreak occurred.
Dickson died on June 5, 1880, in
Grimes County, Texas
Grimes County is a county located in southeastern Texas in the United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 29,268. The seat of the county is Anderson. The county was formed from Montgomery County in 1846. It is named for Jesse G ...
, and is buried near his home in
Anderson
Anderson or Andersson may refer to:
Companies
* Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910
* Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car
* Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer
* Anderson ...
. Dickson was a
Mason.
Notes
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, David Catchings
1818 births
1880 deaths
Physicians from Texas
Lieutenant Governors of Texas
Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives
Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives
Democratic Party Texas state senators
People from Pike County, Mississippi
Texas justices of the peace
Texas Know Nothings
People from Huntsville, Texas