William H. Dick (January 7, 1815 - May 3, 1882) was a Brothertown Indian farmer, carpenter and politician who served two terms, 20 years apart, in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Background

Dick was born in Oneida County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on January 7, 1815. He came to Wisconsin in 1831 with his family, who settled with most of their kindred in Brothertown. He became a farmer. In 1843, his father William Dick (sometimes called "William Dick Sr."), who had been a "peacemaker" (a tribal title for the Brothertown Indians) in New York, was one of three men elected to serve as

county commission A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

ers for the newly organized Calumet County (previously part of Brown County). He married Juliette Peters (1825-1901), also a Brothertowner.

Elective office

He was elected from the Calumet County district of the Wisconsin State Assembly as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to serve for the 1851 term (the

4th Wisconsin Legislature The Fourth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 8, 1851, to March 17, 1851 in regular session. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assembly me ...

), replacing Whig incumbent

David E. Wood David Evans Wood (December 10, 1823June 17, 1862) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician. He died of disease while serving as a Union Army colonel in the American Civil War. Background Wood was born in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, in 1 ...

. His election was challenged (unsuccessfully) because of his race. He would be succeeded by fellow Democrat James Cramond. On March 12, 1851, he was elected to the

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of the newly organized Wisconsin State Agricultural Society. In 1858, he was elected county treasurer. In 1870 Dick was elected from the same district to serve in the 1871 term (Democratic incumbent James Robinson was not a candidate), receiving 1,055 votes to 562 for Republican George Montgomery and 75 for independent Hector McLean. He was assigned to the standing committee on internal improvements. In 1871 he was not nominated for re-election, and veteran fellow Democrat Casper H. M. Petersen would return to the Assembly seat he'd held before. With

Alonzo D. Dick Alonzo David Dick (1813 – October 9, 1872) was a Brothertown Indian farmer, tavernkeeper, and postmaster from Brothertown, Wisconsin, (then called "Manchester"). As a member of the Whig Party, he served one term in the Wisconsin State Assemb ...

and William Fowler, he was one of three Brothertown Indians to serve in Wisconsin's legislature before the Civil War, the only non-white members of that body until the 1908 election of Lucian H. Palmer.

After the legislature

He died May 3, 1882, after suffering a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

on April 28 while working as a carpenter at a lime kiln in nearby Charlestown."Obituary" ''

Chilton Times The Chilton Times-Journal is a weekly newspaper based in Chilton, Wisconsin Chilton is a city in and county seat of Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 4,080 at the 2020 census. The city is located partially wit ...

'' May 6, 1882 He is buried in Union Cemetery in Brothertown.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dick, William H. 1815 births 1882 deaths 19th-century Native Americans 19th-century American legislators American carpenters Native American state legislators in Wisconsin Farmers from Wisconsin People from Oneida County, New York Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century Wisconsin politicians