Dickson was born in
Pike County, Mississippi. In 1830, Dickson's family moved to
Georgetown, Copiah County, Mississippi, where he married Sophronia L. Magee. Dickson attended medical school in
Lexington, Kentucky, and after graduating in 1841, moved, as part of a large group, to the
Montgomery County, Texas, community of
Anderson (present-day
Grimes County). Dickson served as a surgeon for the
Army of the Republic of Texas. He served as a
Justice of the Peace for Montgomery County beginning in 1845. Sometime before 1850, Dickson had remarried, to the former Nancy Ann E. Magee. Dickson served in the
House of Representatives in the
First,
Third, and
Fourth Texas Legislatures. In the Fourth Legislature, Dickson was elected
Speaker of the House, defeating fellow representative
Hardin Richard Runnels 30 votes to 27 on the tenth ballot. In his acceptance speech, Dickson promised to work on eliminating debts incurred by the Republic of Texas and passed on to the state. After the war, he was appointed financial agent of the
State Penitentiary in
Huntsville by Governor
James Webb Throckmorton and served in that capacity from 1866 to 1867. During his time in Huntsville, Dickson attended to the inmates when a
yellow fever outbreak occurred. Dickson died on June 5, 1880, in
Grimes County, Texas, and is buried near his home in
Anderson. Dickson was a
Mason. ==Notes==