Tracy Campbell Dickson (September 17, 1868 – May 17, 1936) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Biography

Dickson was born in

Independence, Iowa Independence is a city in, and the county seat of, Buchanan County, Iowa, Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 6,064 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Independence was founded on June 15, 1847 near t ...

, on September 17, 1868. His father had served with the Ninth New York Cavalry during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Dickson graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

in 1892 at sixth in his class, and he was commissioned in the Second Artillery, though he was transferred to ordnance when he became a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

. From 1894 to 1899, Dickson served as an assistant to the commanding officer at the

Springfield Armory The Springfield Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until ...

as well as an inspector, and between 1899 and 1902, he again served as an assistant at the

Rock Island Arsenal The Rock Island Arsenal comprises 946 acres (383 ha) and is located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It is home to the United Stat ...

. From 1902 to 1906, Dickson served as an assistant to the Chief of Ordnance, and from 1906 to 1910, he served as an assistant to the commander at

Sandy Hook Proving Ground The Sandy Hook Proving Ground was a military facility along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey established by the Secretary of War on August 7, 1874, to serve as the United States Army's first proving ground for the testing of ordnance and materie ...

. During this time, Dickson served on several boards, including a joint Army-Navy-Marine board in 1898 intended to make their calibers uniform, as well as the board that adopted the

M1903 Springfield The M1903 Springfield, officially the U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1903, is an American five-round magazine-fed, bolt-action service repeating rifle, used primarily during the first half of the 20th century. The M1903 was first used in combat ...

rifle. Dickson served on the construction effort of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

. From 1907 to 1910, for example, he served on the

Isthmian Canal Commission The Isthmian Canal Commission (often known as the ICC) was an American administration commission set up to oversee the construction of the Panama Canal in the early years of American involvement. Established on February 26, 1904, it was given con ...

, overseeing repair work and the designing of permanent repair shops. Between 1910 and 1914, he served as the inspector of shops during the canal construction. Dickson chose to retire at the rank of

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 ...

in April 1914. Dickson was recalled to active duty on September 17, 1916, serving at the Watertown Armory as well as on the board that adopted several

Browning machine gun Browning machine guns are a family of machine gun designs by John Browning, a prolific weapon designer. These include: *M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun, based on a design dating to 1889, was the first successful gas-operated machine gun to ente ...

s, and he was given command of the Watertown Arsenal on March 17, 1917. On January 10, 1918, Dickson was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. After serving as the Assistant Chief of Ordnance, Dickson was given authority over production at

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

. After his transfer again to

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River, about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the t ...

, Dickson led the building of the arsenal there, and in 1920, he was given consolidated command of the ordnance schools. He retired in 1933.

Death and legacy

Moving to

Haverford, Pennsylvania Haverford is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community located in both Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, and Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, Lower Merio ...

, to live with his son, Dickson died on May 17, 1936, while taking a walk.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Tracy Campbell 1868 births 1936 deaths People from Independence, Iowa United States Army generals of World War I United States Army generals United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Iowa 19th-century United States Army personnel