Joseph Dickerson Explained

State House:Oklahoma
Term Start:1914
Term End:1916
Term Start2:1904
Term End2:November 16, 1907
Predecessor2:Position established
Successor2:Position disestablished
Birth Date:8 January 1864

Joseph Thomas Dickerson was an American judge and politician who served on the United States Court for the Indian Territory between 1904 and 1907, in the Oklahoma House of Representatives between 1914 and 1916, and as an appointed judge in Oklahoma County.[1]

Early life and career

Joseph Thomas Dickerson was born to Thomas and Hannah Dickerson on January 8, 1864, in Lewisburg, Ohio. His family moved to Iowa before settling in Kansas where he attended the University of Kansas; he graduated in 1887. An active member of the Republican Party, he practiced law in Marion, Kansas and was close with U.S. Senator Charles Curtis.[2]

Judgeships and political career

In 1904, the United States Congress created four additional judgeships for Indian Territory and Dickerson was appointed to fill one of the new seats in the Southern District by Theodore Roosevelt; he served until statehood. After statehood, he served on the State Board of Affairs. He ran as the Republican Party's nominee in the 1912 U.S. Senate election. In 1914 he was elected to one term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. During his term, he was one of the impeachment managers for A.P. Watson's impeachment trial. After retiring from the Oklahoma House he practiced law in Oklahoma County. In 1934, Democratic Governor William H. Murray appointed Dickerson to serve on the newly created common pleas court in OKlahoma County.

Personal life and death

Dickerson married Carrie Sacket in 1891. He died on February 7, 1954, in Edmond, Oklahoma and is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: IN THE UNITED STATES COURT FOR THE INDIAN TERRITORY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT, AT ADA. . Digital Collections: University of Oklahoma Libraries.
  2. Web site: Creel . Von Russell . Dickerson, Joseph Thomas . okhistory.org . . 25 September 2023.