Joseph Dickson (April 1745April 14, 1825) was an American politician and soldier who represented North Carolina's 1st district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1799 to 1801, and would later serve in the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was born in

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee Chester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, th ...

in the Province of Pennsylvania, though eventually moved with his parents to Rowan County in the

Province of North Carolina Province of North Carolina was a province of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712(p. 80) to 1776. It was one of the five Southern colonies and one of the thirteen American colonies. The monarch of Great Britain was repre ...

. He was engaged in cotton and tobacco planting.

Military service

Service record: *Captain in the

Rowan County Regiment The Rowan County Regiment was originally established in about August 1, 1775 as a local militia in Rowan County in the Province of North-Carolina. When the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorized thirty-five existing county militias to be o ...

of the North Carolina militia (1775) *Captain in the 1st Rowan County Regiment of militia (1775-1776) *Captain in the 1st Battalion of Volunteers (1776) *Major in the Lincoln County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1779-1780) *Major in the North Carolina State Cavalry-Western District of the North Carolina state troops (1780) *Colonel over the Lincoln County Regiment of the North Carolina militia (1781-1783) *Brigadier General, after the Revolutionary War He was commissioned

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

over the Lincoln County Regiment of the North Carolina militia under Colonel Charles McDowell of the Morgan District Brigade in 1781. He was at the

Battle of Kings Mountain The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took pla ...

as major of the Lincoln County Regiment. He led his regiment in the Battle of Haw River on February 25, 1781.

Civilian service

Before the Revolutionary War, he was a member of Rowan County Committee of Safety. Dickson was elected

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

of the Lincoln County Court in 1781, and was a member of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

from 1788 to 1795. During this time, he was appointed to the commission to establish the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. He was elected as a Federalist to the Sixth Congress in 1798, representing North Carolina's 1st district. Dickson moved to

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

in 1803 and settled in that portion of Davidson County which subsequently became Rutherford County. He was a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1807 to 1811, serving as

speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

the last two years.

Family

He was married to Margaret McEwen, daughter of James McEwen and Isabella Miller. He died in Rutherford County, Tennessee and is interred on his plantation northeast of Murfreesboro, Tennessee at the Boyd Cemetery, Compton, Rutherford County, Tennessee.Find a Grave photo of tombstone, Memorial No 22307382

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Joseph 1745 births 1825 deaths North Carolina state senators Speakers of the Tennessee House of Representatives Tennessee Federalists Politicians from Chester County, Pennsylvania People from Rutherford County, Tennessee North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 18th-century American politicians 19th-century American politicians People from Rowan County, North Carolina