Asbury Dickins Explained

Asbury Dickins
Order:4th
Office:Secretary of the United States Senate
Term Start:December 13, 1836
Term End:July 15, 1861
Predecessor:Walter Lowrie
Successor:John Weiss Forney
Order1:8th
Office1:Chief Clerk of the Department of State
Term Start1:August 23, 1833
Term End1:December 12, 1836
Predecessor1:Daniel Brent
Successor1:Aaron Ogden Dayton
Birth Date:29 July 1780
Birth Place:Halifax County, North Carolina
Death Place:Washington, D.C.

Asbury Dickins (July 29, 1780  - October 23, 1861) was a United States government official who served as Secretary of the United States Senate from 1836 until shortly before he died in 1861.

Originally from North Carolina, Dickins moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and worked as a publisher and a bookseller. He formed a partnership with Joseph Dennie in 1800 and they began printing The Port Folio, a literary and political magazine, in January 1801.

Dickins entered government service as chief clerk of the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 1829. He then moved to the U.S. Department of State in 1833, again serving as the department's chief clerk. Dickins finally became Secretary of the Senate in 1836 and served under both Democratic and Whig majorities. During his tenure, the Secretary's office increased in size and professionalism.

Dickins died at his home in Washington, D.C. on October 23, 1861.[1] [2]

References

Notes and References

  1. Nuermberger . Ruth Ketring . July 1947 . Asbury Dickins (1780-1861): A Career in Government Service . 23515626 . The North Carolina Historical Review . North Carolina Office of Archives and History . 24 . 3 . 281–314 . 2024-11-03.
  2. News: Dickens, Asbury . March 1899 . XII . 6 . 69 . The Collector . 2024-11-03.