Daniel S. Dickinson

Daniel Stevens Dickinson (September 11, 1800 – April 12, 1866) was a New York politician, most notable as a United States Senator from 1844 to 1851.

Daniel S. Dickinson
27th Attorney General of New York
In office January 1, 1862 – December 31, 1863
Governor	Edwin D. Morgan Horatio Seymour
Preceded by	Charles G. Myers
Succeeded by	John Cochrane
United States Senator from New York
In office November 30, 1844 – March 3, 1851
Preceded by	Nathaniel P. Tallmadge
Succeeded by	Hamilton Fish
Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office January 1, 1843 – December 31, 1844
Governor	William C. Bouck
Preceded by	Luther Bradish
Succeeded by	Addison Gardiner
Personal details
Born	Daniel Stevens Dickinson September 11, 1800 Goshen, Connecticut
Died	April 12, 1866 (aged 65) New York City, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Lydia Knapp Dickinson

Biography

Daniel S. Dickinson

Born in Goshen, Connecticut, he moved with his parents to Guilford, Chenango County, New York, in 1806. He attended the common schools, was apprenticed to a clothier, and taught school at Wheatland, New York from 1821 on. In 1822, he married Lydia Knapp. He also engaged in land surveying, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1828. He commenced practice in Guilford, and served as Postmaster of Guilford from 1827 to 1832. He moved to Binghamton, New York and served as its first Village President in 1834.

He was a member of the New York State Senate (6th D.) from 1837 to 1840, sitting in the 60th, 61st, 62nd and 63rd New York State Legislatures. He was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1843 to 1844. In 1844, he was a presidential elector, voting for James K. Polk and George M. Dallas.

In 1844 he was appointed as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, and was subsequently elected to a full term, holding office from November 30, 1844, to March 3, 1851. He was Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Finance (1849–1850), a member of the Committee on Manufactures (Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth United States Congresses), and a member of the Committee on Private Land Claims (Thirty-first United States Congress). As a senator and after, Dickinson was the leader of the conservative Hunker faction of the New York Democratic Party, and would eventually become leader of the "Hards" who opposed reconciliation with the more radical Barnburner faction which had left the party in 1848 to join the Free Soilers. Dickinson resumed the practice of law in 1851. He was delegate to the 1852 Democratic National Convention. In 1853, President Franklin Pierce appointed him as Collector of the Port of New York, but he declined to take office. In 1860, he supported John C. Breckinridge for President.

He supported the Union during the American Civil War. He was elected New York State Attorney General in November 1861 on a ticket nominated by the Independent People's state convention (War Democrats), and endorsed by the Republicans. He was appointed United States Commissioner for the final settlement of the Hudson Bay and Puget Sound agricultural claims in 1864.

Dickinson was considered as a possible vice presidential candidate when Abraham Lincoln ran for reelection in 1864 and desired a pro-war Democrat on the Republican ticket to demonstrate support for his war policy, but the nomination went to Andrew Johnson. Dickinson supported Lincoln's reelection, and was appointed United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York in 1865, an office in which he served until his death.

He died in New York City, and was buried at the Spring Forest Cemetery in Binghamton.

Legacy

Statue of Dickinson at the Broome County Courthouse

Daniel S. Dickinson is the namesake of the village of Port Dickinson, New York (and the encompassing town), Dickinson County, Iowa, and Dickinson County, Kansas.[1] His great-granddaughter Tracy Dickinson Mygatt was a Socialist playwright and pacifist.[2]

A bronze statue of Dickinson by Allen George Newman was erected in front of the Broome County Courthouse in Binghamton, New York in 1924.[3]

Notes

1. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 106.
2. Mary O'Flaherty, "Of Sturdy Whig Stock is Woman Socialist," Brooklyn Daily Eagle (November 3, 1932): 21. via Newspapers.com
3. "Daniel S. Dickinson, (sculpture)". Art Inventories Catalog. The Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 12 September 2020.

References

• United States Congress. "Daniel S. Dickinson (id: D000317)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2009-04-07
• Mr. Lincoln and New York: Daniel S. Dickinson
• Obit in NYT on April 14, 1866 (with a few incorrect dates)
• List of New York Attorneys General, at Office of the NYSAG

External links

• Works by or about Daniel S. Dickinson at Internet Archive
• Daniel S. Dickinson at Find a Grave
• Daniel S. Dickinson Papers at the Newberry Library
• Daniel S. Dickinson Papers, Binghamton University Libraries
• Daniel S. Dickinson Digital Collection, Binghamton University Libraries