Denver Dickerson

Denver Dickerson (April 23, 1914 – July 19, 1981) was Speaker of the Nevada Assembly in 1943 and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.[1] He was appointed Secretary of Guam in 1963 by U.S. President John F. Kennedy. As the office included the duties of lieutenant governor at that time,[2] Dickerson occasionally served as the acting governor of Guam during his term.[3][4]

Denver Dickerson
Grave at Arlington National Cemetery
6th Secretary of Guam
In office March 1, 1963 – July 20, 1969
Governor	Manuel Flores Leon Guerrero
Preceded by	Manuel Flores Leon Guerrero
Succeeded by	Kurt Moylan
37th Speaker of the Nevada Assembly
In office January 1943 – October 1943
Governor	Edward P. Carville
Preceded by	William J. Cashill
Succeeded by	Peter A. Burke
Member of the Nevada Assembly
In office January 1941 – October 1943
Governor	Edward P. Carville
Personal details
Born	April 23, 1914 Carson City, Nevada, US
Died	July 19, 1981 (aged 67) Bethesda, Maryland, US
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery 38°52′50″N 77°04′30″W
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Lois Midgley Dickerson Maxine V. Dickerson
Children	Delcey Ann, Diane
Alma mater	University of Nevada
Profession	Newspaper publisher
Parents	Denver S. Dickerson Una L. Reilly Dickerson
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1943–1945
Rank	Technical Sergeant
Battles/wars	World War II

Prior to entering politics, Dickerson worked as a journalist in Nevada and eventually became a newspaper publisher and editor. He later served as the head of the U.S. Congressional Printing Committee until his retirement in 1980.[1]

Biography

Dickerson's father was the warden of his birthplace, Nevada State Prison.[1]

On April 23, 1914, Dickerson was born in Carson City at Nevada State Prison, where his father, Denver Sylvester Dickerson, was the warden as well as the former governor of the state.[1][5] His father died in November 1925, when the younger Dickerson was 11 years old.[6]

Dickerson attended the public school system and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Nevada. He became a journalist for the Reno Evening Gazette. Following in his father's footsteps, Dickerson eventually owned the Carson City Chronicle and the Nevada State News.[1]

On June 24, 1938, Dickerson married Lois Midgley.[7] They had two daughters, Delsey Ann and Diane (d. 2013[8]).[5]

Political career

In 1940, Dickerson ran for the Nevada Assembly from Ormsby County and was elected to the 1941 session of the state legislature.[1] He also became the President of the Nevada Press Association in 1942.[9] Dickerson was selected to become the Speaker of the Nevada Assembly in January 1943, at the age of 28.[10] In October 1943, Dickerson left to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II. However, his title remained with the official records of the Nevada Assembly.[10]

In 1947, Dickerson was appointed the head of the Nevada Department of Employment Security. In 1952, he departed for Burma as the press secretary of the U.S. embassy. Dickerson returned to Nevada in 1955 to become the editorial director of the Las Vegas Review Journal. He returned to politics in the staff of Democratic U.S. Senator Alan Bible.[1]

In March 1963, Dickerson was appointed the Secretary of Guam by U.S. President John F. Kennedy and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In his capacity as secretary, Dickerson carried out the equivalent responsibility of a lieutenant governor,[2] intermittently filling in as acting governor throughout his term until 1969.[3][4] In 1972, he joined the staff of the U.S. Senate Rules Committee and became executive officer of the Congressional Printing Committee in 1973.[1]

Dickerson retired from the printing committee on February 29, 1980,[11] and died in Bethesda, Maryland on July 19, 1981.[1] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on July 19 of that year.

See also

• List of United States political families (Dickersons of Nevada)

References

1. Sharp, Nancy Weatherly; Sharp, James Roger (1997). American legislative leaders in the West, 1911–1994. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 100. ISBN 9780313302121. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
2. The States. National Association of Secretaries of State. 2010. p. 59. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
3. Proposed War-in-the-Pacific National Historical Park. Office of Insular Affairs. 1972. p. 56. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
4. "The Military engineer". 61–62. Society of American Military Engineers. 1969: 305. Retrieved November 16, 2010. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
5. "Nevada Historical Society quarterly". 49. Nevada Historical Society. 2006: 342. Retrieved November 18, 2010. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
6. "Nevada Governor Denver Sylvester Dickerson". National Governors Association. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
7. Who's Who on the Pacific Coast. A.N. Marquis Co. 1949. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
8. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/burlingtonfreepress/obituary.aspx?n=diane-d-wayman&pid=168391617
9. "History of the Nevada Press Association". Nevada Press Association. October 8, 2010. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
10. "Speakers of the Nevada Assembly: 1864 through 2007" (PDF). Nevada Legislature. 2007. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
11. "Documents to the People". 8 (3–4). American Library Association. 1980. Retrieved November 19, 2010. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)