Joseph Dickson (April 1745April 14, 1825) was an American politician and soldier who represented North Carolina's 1st district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1799 to 1801, and would later serve in the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

. He was born in

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States ** Chester County Council, boy scout council in Pennsylvania. * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire ...

in the

Province of Pennsylvania The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from ...

, though eventually moved with his parents to Rowan County in the

Province of North Carolina The Province of North Carolina, originally known as the Albemarle Settlements, was a proprietary colony and later royal colony of Great Britain that existed in North America from 1712 to 1776.(p. 80) It was one of the five Southern col ...

. He was engaged in cotton and tobacco planting.

Military service

Service record: *Captain in the

Rowan County Regiment The Rowan County Regiment was originally established in about August 1, 1775 as a local militia in Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County in the Province of North-Carolina, Province of North Carolina. When the North Carolina Provincial Congres ...

of the North Carolina militia (1775) *Captain in the 1st Rowan County Regiment of militia (1775-1776) *Captain in the 1st Battalion of Volunteers (1776) *Major in the

Lincoln County Regiment The Lincoln County Regiment was a local militia in Lincoln County, North Carolina during the American Revolutionary. It was created by the North Carolina General Assembly of 1778 on February 8, 1779 at the same time that Lincoln County was crea ...

of the North Carolina militia (1779-1780) *Major in the North Carolina State Cavalry-Western District of the North Carolina state troops (1780) *Colonel over the

of the North Carolina militia (1781-1783) *Brigadier General, after the Revolutionary War He was commissioned

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

over the

of the North Carolina militia under Colonel Charles McDowell of the Morgan District Brigade in 1781. He was at the

Battle of Kings Mountain The Battle of Kings Mountain was a military engagement between Patriot and Loyalist militias in South Carolina during the southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War, resulting in a decisive victory for the Patriots. The battle took pl ...

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

of the

. He led his regiment in the Battle of Haw River on February 25, 1781.

Civilian service

Before the Revolutionary War, he was a member of Rowan County Committee of Safety. Dickson was elected

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

of the Lincoln County Court in 1781, and was a member of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

from 1788 to 1795. During this time, he was appointed to the commission to establish the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

. He was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

to the Sixth Congress in 1798, representing North Carolina's 1st district. Dickson moved to

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

in 1803 and settled in that portion of Davidson County which subsequently became Rutherford County. He was a member of the

from 1807 to 1811, serving as

speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

the last two years.

Family

He was married to Margaret McEwen, daughter of James McEwen and Isabella Miller. He died in

Rutherford County, Tennessee Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in Middle Tennessee. As of a 2023 estimate, the population was 367,101, making it the fifth-most populous county in Tennessee. A study conducted by the Univer ...

and is interred on his plantation northeast of

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...

at the Boyd Cemetery, Compton, Rutherford County, Tennessee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Joseph 1745 births 1825 deaths North Carolina state senators Speakers of the Tennessee House of Representatives Tennessee Federalists Politicians from Chester County, Pennsylvania People from Rutherford County, Tennessee North Carolina militiamen in the American Revolution Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina People from Rowan County, North Carolina 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly