David Catchings Dickson (February 25, 1818 – June 5, 1880) was an American politician and physician in early

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

who served as the ninth

speaker of the Texas House of Representatives The speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the speaker (politics), 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 ...

from 1851 to 1853 and as the fourth

lieutenant governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive officer, executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States, U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the wor ...

from 1853 to 1855. He was also a

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

and unsuccessfully ran for

governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

Biography

Dickson was born in

Pike County, Mississippi Pike County is a county located on the southwestern border of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,324. The county seat is Magnolia. Pike County is named for explorer Zebulon Pike. Pike County is part of ...

. In 1830, Dickson's family moved to Georgetown, Copiah County, Mississippi, where he married Sophronia L. Magee. Dickson attended medical school in

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

, 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 The Texas Army, officially the Army of the Republic of Texas, was the land force branch of the Texas Military Forces during the Republic of Texas. It descended from the Texian Army, which was established in October 1835 to fight for independence ...

. 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 House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

in the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

Third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

, and

Fourth Texas Legislature The 4th Texas Legislature met from November 3, 1851 to February 7, 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 * 4th Re ...

s. In the Fourth Legislature, Dickson was elected

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

, 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 Events January–March * January 6 – ** Florida Governor Thomas Brown signs legislation that provides public support for the new East Florida Seminary, leading to the establishment of the University of Florida. **U.S. President-elect ...

, he was elected lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket with governor Elisha M. Pease. In

1855 Events January–March * January 1 – Ottawa, Ontario, is incorporated as a city.' * January 5 – Ramón Castilla begins his third term as President of Peru. * January 23 ** The first bridge over the Mississippi River o ...

, with the backing of the American Party (better known as the “Know Nothings”), he ran for governor against Pease but was defeated by a large margin. Dickson later returned to the state House, in 1859, for the Eighth Texas Legislature. On November 16, 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 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 ...

, but when State Senator Anthony Martin Branch stepped down to serve in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

in 1862, Dickson was elected to complete Branch's term in the

Texas State Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate is made up of 31 members, where eac ...

. After the war, he was appointed financial agent of the State Penitentiary in

Huntsville Huntsville is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the 100th-most populous city in the U.S. The Huntsville metropolitan area had an estimated 525,465 ...

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 June 5, 1880, in

Grimes County, Texas Grimes County is a county located in southeastern Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 29,268. The seat of the county is Anderson. The county was formed from Montgomery County in 1846. It is named for Jesse Grime ...

, and is buried near his home in Anderson. Dickson was a Mason.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, David Catchings 1818 births 1880 deaths Physicians from Texas Lieutenant governors of Texas Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Democratic Party Texas state senators People from Pike County, Mississippi Texas justices of the peace Texas Know Nothings People from Huntsville, Texas 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature