Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/269

 DICKINSON

DICKINSON

lege in the schools of Detroit and by a private tutor and was graduated from the law department of the University of Michigan in 1867. He was mar- ried, June 15, 1869, to Frances L., daughter of Dr. Aionzo Piatt of Grand Rapids, Mich. He engaged in the practice of his profession in Detroit, Mich. , and acquired an extended clientage in all the courts of record to the highest in the United States. He was chairman of the Democratic state central campaign committee in 1876 and conducted the Tilden and Hendricks campaign. He was a delegate-at-large to the Democratic national con- ventions of 1880 and 1884, and a member of the Democratic national committee, 1884-85. In 1887 he was appointed postmaster-general in President Cleveland's cabinet to succeed William T. Vilas of Wisconsin, transferred to the interior depart- ment on Dec. 6th of that year. At the close of Mr. Cleveland's first administration Mr. Dick- inson i-eturned to the practice of the law in De- troit. He was chairman of the Democratic na- tional committee in 1892, and he declined to serve as cabinet officer in Mr. Cleveland's second admin- istration. He was chief counsel for the United States before the joint high commission created to adjust claims growing out of the Bering sea seizures of sailing vessels in 1887, which commis- sion met at Victoria, B.C., in November, 1896, and held adjourned meetings at Halifax, N.S. and in Montreal.

DICKINSON, Edward, representative, was born in Amherst. Mass., Jan. 1, 1803; son of Samuel Fowler and Lucretia (Gunn) Dickinson; grandson of Nathan Dickinson ; and a descendant of Deacon Nathaniel Dickinson, Weathersfield, Conn., 1637. Samuel Fowler Dickinson was one of the founders of Amherst college. Edward was graduated from Yale in 1823, and was admitted to the bar in 1826, practising in his native place. In 1835 he was elected treasm-er of Amherst college and held the office until a short time before his death. He was elected to the state house of rep- resentatives in 1838 and 1839, to the state senate in 1842 and 1843, and to the executive council in 1846 and 1847. He was a Whig representative in the 33d congress, 1853-55. Amherst conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. in 1863. He died in Boston. Mass. , June 16, 1874.

DICKINSON, Emily Elizabeth, poet, was born in Amherst, Mass., Dec. 10, 1830; daughter of Edward and Emih' (Norcross) Dickinson; and granddaughter of Samuel Fowler Dickinson. Her father and grandfather were both treasurers of Amherst college, and her father was a represent- ative in congress and in the state legislature. Emily was educated at Amherst academy and Mount Holyoke seminary She lived a singularly uneventful and quiet life, jotting down ideas, lines, or whole poems as they came to her. Dur

ing her life she never willingly permitted her writing to be published. Shy from childhood, her reserve grew to such an extent that for over fif- teen years no one outside her family .saw her; and though physically well she never left the house during that time. After her death about a thousand manuscript poems were found, and they were edited, copied, and many of them published by Mrs. Mabel Loomis Todd. The sale of the poems had reached in 1899 considerably over 20,000 copies. The first volume, containing between one and two hundred poems, appeared in November, 1890 ; the second volume of as many more, with a preface by Mrs. Todd, was issued in November, 1891 ; and the third volume appeared in October, 1896. Mrs. Todd also edited two volumes of Emily Dickinson's Letters, which appeared in November, 1894. Miss Dickinson died in Amherst, Mass., May 15, 1886-

DICKINSON, John, statesman, was born at Crosia-(lor6, Talbot county, Md., Nov. 2. 1732 ; the second son of Samuel and Mary (Cadwalader) Dickinson. He was a direct descendant from Walter Dickinson, one of three sons of Charles Dickinson, who died in London, England, in 1653. These sons, being Quakers, left England in 1654 to escape im- prisonment as non- conformists, settling first in Virginia. In 1659 Walter removed to Maryland, where he purchased a plan- tation and called it Crosia-dore. In 1740, Samuel, grandson of Walter, and father of John Dickinson, re- moved from this plantation and settled on a large estate near

Dover, Kent county, Del. He was a lawyer and judge of the county court and died in 1760. John was tutored by William Killen. a young Irishman, who subsequently became chief justice and chancellor of Delaware. In 1750 he began the study of law in the office of John Moland of Philadelphia, king's attorney and a provincial councillor in 1759. He was entered in the Middle Temple, London, as a student at law in 1753. and returning to Philadelphia in 1757 began the prac tice of his profession. He was a member of the assembly from the "Lower Counties," as Dela- ware was then called, 1760-62, and from the city of Philadelphia. 1762. Having taken sides with the proprietary governors against the descendants of William Penn he failed of re election, but regained his office in 1770. He was a delegate to

^i//l4//J^^/f^fUi