Amos Andre Dodson (April 10, 1856 — December 26, 1888) was an American farmer, teacher, carpenter, newspaperman, public official, and state legislator in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He represented Mecklenburg County in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

during the 1883-1884 session. He aligned with the local Republican and

Readjuster The Readjuster Party was a bi-racial state-level political party formed in Virginia across party lines in the late 1870s during the turbulent period following the Reconstruction era that sought to reduce outstanding debt owed by the state. Readj ...

political parties.http://mlkcommission.dls.virginia.gov/lincoln/pdfs/bios/dodson_amos_andre.pdf

Early life

Dodson was born into slavery on April 10, 1856 to parents Judith Hepburn Dodson and her blacksmith husband, James Dodson. His mother died while he was young. After working as a house slave for eight years, Dodson was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker, and freed as a result of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. He also attended a school taught by a northern white man, who later taught him privately. While studying at night, he worked for a physician who acquainted him with history and English literature. He later read law under the direction of Alfred W. Harris, who represented

Dinwiddie County Dinwiddie County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,947. Its county seat is Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie County is part of the Richmond, VA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The ...

and Petersburg (the nearest city to Mecklenburg County) in the state legislature.

Career

In 1872, Dodson started a decade long career as a teacher in Mecklenburg County. In the

1880 United States census The 1880 United States census, conducted by the Census Office during June 1880, was the tenth United States census. Dodson taught school at other times as well, and also held a part share of an undertaking business.

Political career

During the 1870s Dodson became involved with the

Republican Party of Virginia The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) is the Virginia chapter of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. It is based at the Richard D. Obenshain Center in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond. As of May 2024, it controls all three statew ...

, and in 1882 received a job as a railroad mail clerk from former Confederate general turned

Readjuster Party The Readjuster Party was a bi-racial state-level political party formed in Virginia across party lines in the late 1870s during the turbulent period following the Reconstruction era that sought to reduce outstanding debt owed by the state. Readj ...

leader and railroad executive

William Mahone William Mahone (December 1, 1826October 8, 1895) was a Confederate States Army general, civil engineer, railroad executive, prominent Virginia Readjuster Party, Readjuster and ardent supporter of former slaves. He later represented Virginia in th ...

. In 1883, Dodson ran in the Republican primary for a seat in the

from Mecklenburg County against seven-term incumbent Ross Hamilton. Dodson had support from the

and unseated Hamilton, then despite Democratic victories elsewhere in the state, beat his Democratic opponent by a vote of 1,933 to 1,584 during the general election.Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) p. 538 As a delegate (a part-time position in that era), Dodson served on the Legislature's Immigration committee. During this time, despite the

losing control of Virginia, the Republicans were still in control at the national level, and Dodson received an appointment as Deputy Collector of the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

. In 1882 he helped incorporate the Colored Agricultural and Industrial Association of Virginia. In 1884, Dodson was chosen as an at-large delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He did not seek reelection to the legislature in 1885, but continued to organize for the Republican Party in Mecklenburg and neighboring

Charlotte Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city * Charlotte (cake) ...

counties that year. He worked to revitalize a Republican-led political coalition under Readjuster leader William Mahone's direction.

Later life and death

In late 1886, Dodson moved to

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

and during this time, opposed a

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

amendment to the states constitution. In 1887, Dodson again gained public attention when he successfully advocated the development of two Tennessee railway lines. In 1888, Dodson became seriously ill with

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

and later with

consumption Consumption may refer to: * Eating *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption * Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...

, likely

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. Just weeks before his death, he married teacher Sylvia J. Mason on November 29, 1888. Dodson died at his Knoxville home on December 26, 1888, and was most likely buried in that city.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dodson, Amos 1856 births 1888 deaths Members of the Virginia House of Delegates People from Mecklenburg County, Virginia Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly

Early life

Career

Political career

Later life and death

See also

References