Denver Dickerson
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Denver Dickerson (April 23, 1914 – July 19, 1981) was Speaker of the Nevada Assembly in 1943 and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was appointed
Secretary of Guam The Secretary of Guam was the equivalent of the Lieutenant Governor of Guam when the Governorship was still appointed by the President of the United States. The office became the Lieutenant Governor of Guam when island residents began electing the ...
in 1963 by U.S. President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
. As the office included the duties of
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
at that time, Dickerson occasionally served as the acting governor of
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during his term. Prior to entering politics, Dickerson worked as a journalist in Nevada and eventually became a newspaper publisher and editor. He later served as the head of the U.S. Congressional Printing Committee until his retirement in 1980.


Biography

On April 23, 1914, Dickerson was born in
Carson City Carson City is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the List of cities in Nevada, sixth largest ...
at
Nevada State Prison Nevada State Prison (NSP) was a penitentiary located in Carson City. The prison was in continuous operation since its establishment in 1862 and was managed by the Nevada Department of Corrections. It was one of the oldest prisons still operatin ...
, where his father, Denver Sylvester Dickerson, was the warden as well as the former governor of the state. His father died in November 1925, when the younger Dickerson was 11 years old. Dickerson attended the public school system and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada. He became a journalist for the ''
Reno Evening Gazette The ''Reno Gazette Journal'' is the main daily newspaper for Reno, Nevada. It is owned and operated by the Gannett Company. It came into being when the ''Nevada State Journal'' (founded on November 23, 1870) and the ''Reno Evening Gazette'' (foun ...
''. Following in his father's footsteps, Dickerson eventually owned the ''Carson City Chronicle'' and the ''Nevada State News''. On June 24, 1938, Dickerson married Lois Midgley. They had two daughters, Delsey Ann and Diane (d. 2013).


Political career

In 1940, Dickerson ran for the Nevada Assembly from Ormsby County and was elected to the 1941 session of the
state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
. He also became the President of the Nevada Press Association in 1942. Dickerson was selected to become the Speaker of the Nevada Assembly in January 1943, at the age of 28. In October 1943, Dickerson left to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. However, his title remained with the official records of the Nevada Assembly. In 1947, Dickerson was appointed the head of the Nevada Department of Employment Security. In 1952, he departed for
Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
as the press secretary of the U.S. embassy. Dickerson returned to Nevada in 1955 to become the editorial director of the ''
Las Vegas Review-Journal The ''Las Vegas Review-Journal'' is a daily subscription newspaper published in Las Vegas, Nevada, since 1909. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada and one of two daily newspapers in the Las Vegas area. The ''Review-Journal'' ...
''. He returned to politics in the staff of Democratic U.S. Senator Alan Bible. In March 1963, Dickerson was appointed the
Secretary of Guam The Secretary of Guam was the equivalent of the Lieutenant Governor of Guam when the Governorship was still appointed by the President of the United States. The office became the Lieutenant Governor of Guam when island residents began electing the ...
by U.S. President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
and was confirmed by the
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
. In his capacity as secretary, Dickerson carried out the equivalent responsibility of a
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
, intermittently filling in as acting governor throughout his term until 1969. In 1972, he joined the staff of the U.S. Senate Rules Committee and became executive officer of the Congressional Printing Committee in 1973. Dickerson retired from the printing committee on February 29, 1980, and died in
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, on July 19, 1981. He was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
on July 19 of that year.


See also

* List of United States political families (Dickersons of Nevada)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickerson, Denver 1914 births 1981 deaths American male journalists 20th-century American journalists United States Army personnel of World War II Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Guamanian Democrats Politicians from Carson City, Nevada Secretaries of Guam Speakers of the Nevada Assembly Democratic Party members of the Nevada Assembly United States Army soldiers University of Nevada alumni 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American male writers