David Catchings Dickson
Encyclopedia
David Catchings Dickson was an American
politician and physician in early Texas
who served as Lieutenant Governor of Texas
and as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
. He was also a State Senator
and unsuccessfully ran for governor of Texas
.
Dickson was born 25 February 1818 in Pike County
, Mississippi
. In 1830, Dickson’s family moved to Georgetown
in Copiah County
, where he later married Sophronia L. Magee. Dickson attended medical school in Lexington, Kentucky
, and after graduating in 1841, moved, as part of a large group, to the Montgomery County
, Texas, community of Anderson
(present-day Grimes County). Dickson served as a surgeon for the Army of the Republic of Texas
. He served as a Justice of the Peace
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
in the First
, Third
, and Fourth Texas Legislature
s. In the Fourth Legislature, Dickson was elected Speaker of the House
, defeating fellow representative Hardin Richard Runnels
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 “Know Nothing” Party
, he ran for governor against Pease, but was defeated.
Dickson returned to the House in 1859 for the Eighth Texas Legislature
. On 16 November 1859, he moved that an interpreter be provided for Representative Basilio Benavides of Webb County
, an action which prompted outcry from the Dallas Herald
. 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
, but when State Senator Anthony Martin Branch
stepped down to serve in the Confederate States Army
in 1862, Dickson was elected to complete Branch’s term.
After the war, he was appointed financial agent of the State Penitentiary
in Huntsville
by Governor James Webb Throckmorton and served in that capacity from 1866 to 1867. During his time in Huntsville, Dickson attended to the inmates when a yellow fever
outbreak occurred.
Dickson died on 5 June 1880, and is buried near his home in Anderson
. Dickson was a Mason.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician and physician in early Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
who served as Lieutenant Governor of Texas
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 controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
and as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
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...
. He was also a State Senator
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
and unsuccessfully ran for governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
.
Dickson was born 25 February 1818 in Pike County
Pike County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,940 people, 14,792 households, and 10,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 95 people per square mile . There were 16,720 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. In 1830, Dickson’s family moved to Georgetown
Georgetown, Mississippi
Georgetown is a town in Copiah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 344 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Georgetown is located at ....
in Copiah County
Copiah County, Mississippi
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,757 people, 10,142 households, and 7,494 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 11,101 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...
, where he later married Sophronia L. Magee. Dickson attended medical school in Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, and after graduating in 1841, moved, as part of a large group, to the Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Texas
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The county was created by an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 14, 1837. The county was named for the town of Montgomery, Texas. In 2000, its...
, Texas, community of Anderson
Anderson, Texas
Anderson is a city in Grimes County, Texas, United States. The population was 280 in 2009. It is the county seat. The city and its surroundings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Anderson Historic District.-Geography:...
(present-day Grimes County). Dickson served as a surgeon for the Army of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
. He served as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
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
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
in the First
First Texas Legislature
The First Texas Legislature convened from 16 February to 13 May 1846 in regular session. Members of the House of Representatives and Senate were elected in December 1845, after an election on 13 October 1845 that ratified the proposed state constitution....
, Third
Third Texas Legislature
The Third Texas Legislature met from 5 November 1849 to 3 December 1850 in its regular session and two called sessions. All members of the House of Representatives and about half of the members of the Senate were elected in 1849.-Sessions:...
, and Fourth Texas Legislature
Fourth Texas Legislature
The Fourth Texas Legislature met from 3 November 1851 to 7 February 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:...
s. In the Fourth Legislature, Dickson was elected Speaker of the House
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...
, defeating fellow representative Hardin Richard Runnels
Hardin Richard Runnels
Hardin Richard Runnels was a U.S. political figure. He served as the sixth Governor of Texas between 1857 and 1859. His defeat of Sam Houston in the 1857 election for governor marked the only time that Houston ever lost an election. Runnels favored secession from the Union and re-establishing the...
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
Elisha M. Pease
Elisha Marshall Pease was a U.S. politician from the 1830s through the 1870s. He served as the fifth and 13th Governor of Texas .A native of Enfield, Connecticut, Pease moved to Mexican Texas in 1835...
. In 1855, with the backing of the American “Know Nothing” Party
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
, he ran for governor against Pease, but was defeated.
Dickson returned to the House in 1859 for the Eighth Texas Legislature
Eighth Texas Legislature
The Eighth Texas Legislature met from 7 November 1859 to 9 April 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 in 1859....
. On 16 November 1859, he moved that an interpreter be provided for Representative Basilio Benavides of Webb County
Webb County, Texas
Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The official 2010 population for the county is 250,304. In 2000, its population was 193,117, and in 2006 its population had been estimated to have reached to 231,470. Its county seat is Laredo...
, an action which prompted outcry from the Dallas Herald
Dallas Times Herald
The Dallas Times Herald, founded in 1888 by a merger of the Dallas Times and the Dallas Herald, was once one of two major daily newspapers serving the Dallas, Texas area. It won three Pulitzer Prizes, all for photography, and two George Polk Awards, for local and regional reporting...
. 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
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, but when State Senator Anthony Martin Branch
Anthony Martin Branch
Anthony Martin Branch was a Texas politician who served in the Confederate States Congress during the American Civil War.-Biography:Branch was born in Buckingham County, Virginia, and later moved to Texas...
stepped down to serve in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
in 1862, Dickson was elected to complete Branch’s term.
After the war, he was appointed financial agent of the State Penitentiary
Huntsville Prison
Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville or Huntsville Unit , nicknamed "Walls Unit," is a Texas state prison located in Huntsville, Texas, United States. The approximately facility, near Downtown Huntsville, is operated by the Correctional Institutions Division of the Texas Department of Criminal...
in Huntsville
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
by Governor James Webb Throckmorton and served in that capacity from 1866 to 1867. During his time in Huntsville, Dickson attended to the inmates when a yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
outbreak occurred.
Dickson died on 5 June 1880, and is buried near his home in Anderson
Anderson, Texas
Anderson is a city in Grimes County, Texas, United States. The population was 280 in 2009. It is the county seat. The city and its surroundings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Anderson Historic District.-Geography:...
. Dickson was a Mason.