Bernard F. Dickmann
Encyclopedia
Bernard Francis Dickmann (September 7, 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri
, USA – December 9, 1971 in Collins, Mississippi
) was the thirty-fourth mayor of St. Louis (from 1933 to 1941).
he enlisted in the Marine Corps. His later business career was in real estate. He was active in the St. Louis Real Estate Exchange, serving on the Board of Directors, and serving as its President in 1931.
t]] had just been elected President. Dickmann's election marked the first time in 24 years that a Democrat had been elected Mayor of St. Louis. It also marked the first time a Democrat was elected with the support of a formidable African American political organization: The Co-operative Civic Association led by Jordan Chambers. Dickmann kept black support by building a long-promised modern hospital for the black community, which Republican Mayor Henry Kiel had promised would be paid for by the $87 million 1923 bond issue. By fulfilling his promise, Dickmann helped transform St. Louis from majority Republican to majority Democrat.
In April 1933, Dickmann was elected Mayor of St. Louis. The United States was suffering from the effects of the Great Depression
, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt had just been elected President. Dickmann's election marked the first time in 24 years that a Democrat had beeointed St. Louis Postmaster, a position he held until 1958. In 1949, while serving as Postmaster of St. Louis, Dickmann married Beulah Pat Herrington, the Postmistress of Mount Olive, Mississippi
. In 1959, Mayor Raymond Tucker
appointed Dickmann as Director of the City's newly established Department of Welfare, and he served in that position for two years. After completing his government service, Dickmann continued in the real estate business. He died in Collins, Mississippi on December 9, 1971 at the age of 83. The Poplar Street Bridge
crossing the Mississippi River at St. Louis is named in his honor.
During Mayor Dickmann's administration, the city acquired and cleared the land along the riverfront that would become the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
and be developed with the Gateway Arch
. During Mayor Dickmann's administration, the city also enacted a Smoke Ordinance, and took steps to reduce the air pollution created by the extensive use of coal
for home heating and industrial use in the city.
In 1941, Dickmann sought a third term as Mayor. He was defeated by Republican William D. Becker
. Dickmann was a delegate to the Missouri
Constitutional Convention in 1943. In December 1943, he was appointed St. Louis Postmaster, a position he held until 1958. In 1949, while serving as Postmaster of St. Louis, Dickmann married Beulah Pat Herrington, the Postmistress of Mount Olive, Mississippi
. In 1959, Mayor Raymond Tucker
appointed Dickmann as Director of the City's newly established Department of Welfare, and he served in that position for two years. After completing his government service, Dickmann continued in the real estate business. He died in Collins, Mississippi on December 9, 1971 at the age of 83. The Poplar Street Bridge
crossing the Mississippi River at St. Louis is named in his honor.
Dickmann is interred in Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in south St. Louis.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, USA – December 9, 1971 in Collins, Mississippi
Collins, Mississippi
Collins is a city in Covington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,761 at the 2005 census. It is the county seat of Covington County....
) was the thirty-fourth mayor of St. Louis (from 1933 to 1941).
Biography
Dickmann started work at the age of 16, working for a lumber company in St. Louis. During World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he enlisted in the Marine Corps. His later business career was in real estate. He was active in the St. Louis Real Estate Exchange, serving on the Board of Directors, and serving as its President in 1931.
t]] had just been elected President. Dickmann's election marked the first time in 24 years that a Democrat had been elected Mayor of St. Louis. It also marked the first time a Democrat was elected with the support of a formidable African American political organization: The Co-operative Civic Association led by Jordan Chambers. Dickmann kept black support by building a long-promised modern hospital for the black community, which Republican Mayor Henry Kiel had promised would be paid for by the $87 million 1923 bond issue. By fulfilling his promise, Dickmann helped transform St. Louis from majority Republican to majority Democrat.
In April 1933, Dickmann was elected Mayor of St. Louis. The United States was suffering from the effects of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt had just been elected President. Dickmann's election marked the first time in 24 years that a Democrat had beeointed St. Louis Postmaster, a position he held until 1958. In 1949, while serving as Postmaster of St. Louis, Dickmann married Beulah Pat Herrington, the Postmistress of Mount Olive, Mississippi
Mount Olive, Mississippi
Mount Olive is a town in Covington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 893 at the 2000 census. It was the hometown of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair.-Geography:Mount Olive is located at...
. In 1959, Mayor Raymond Tucker
Raymond Tucker
Raymond Tucker was the thirty-eighth Mayor of St. Louis, serving from 1953 to 1965.- Personal life and early career :...
appointed Dickmann as Director of the City's newly established Department of Welfare, and he served in that position for two years. After completing his government service, Dickmann continued in the real estate business. He died in Collins, Mississippi on December 9, 1971 at the age of 83. The Poplar Street Bridge
Poplar Street Bridge
The Poplar Street Bridge, officially the Bernard F. Dickmann Bridge, completed in 1967, is a long deck girder bridge across the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois...
crossing the Mississippi River at St. Louis is named in his honor.
During Mayor Dickmann's administration, the city acquired and cleared the land along the riverfront that would become the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
The Jefferson National Expansion Memorial is in St. Louis, Missouri, near the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was designated as a National Memorial by Executive Order 7523, on December 21, 1935, and is maintained by the National Park Service .The park was established to...
and be developed with the Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States...
. During Mayor Dickmann's administration, the city also enacted a Smoke Ordinance, and took steps to reduce the air pollution created by the extensive use of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
for home heating and industrial use in the city.
In 1941, Dickmann sought a third term as Mayor. He was defeated by Republican William D. Becker
William D. Becker
William Dee Becker was the thirty-fifth Mayor of St. Louis, from 1941 to 1943....
. Dickmann was a delegate to the Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Constitutional Convention in 1943. In December 1943, he was appointed St. Louis Postmaster, a position he held until 1958. In 1949, while serving as Postmaster of St. Louis, Dickmann married Beulah Pat Herrington, the Postmistress of Mount Olive, Mississippi
Mount Olive, Mississippi
Mount Olive is a town in Covington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 893 at the 2000 census. It was the hometown of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair.-Geography:Mount Olive is located at...
. In 1959, Mayor Raymond Tucker
Raymond Tucker
Raymond Tucker was the thirty-eighth Mayor of St. Louis, serving from 1953 to 1965.- Personal life and early career :...
appointed Dickmann as Director of the City's newly established Department of Welfare, and he served in that position for two years. After completing his government service, Dickmann continued in the real estate business. He died in Collins, Mississippi on December 9, 1971 at the age of 83. The Poplar Street Bridge
Poplar Street Bridge
The Poplar Street Bridge, officially the Bernard F. Dickmann Bridge, completed in 1967, is a long deck girder bridge across the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois...
crossing the Mississippi River at St. Louis is named in his honor.
Dickmann is interred in Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in south St. Louis.