John F. Dickson
Encyclopedia
John F. Dickson was an American public servant, law enforcement officer and police captain with the New York City Police Department
. He and drillmaster Theron S. Copeland
led a police squad during the New York Draft Riots
which were dispatched against rioters attacking African-Americans. He was also the longtime head of the Tombs Police Court
and one of the oldest serving police officers on the police force at the time of his death in 1880.
in 1857, joined the force as acting Captain of the Sixth Precinct. He remained in command of the precinct until Captain Joseph Dowling
, who had formerly sided with Mayor Fernando Wood
and the Municipal police force during the Police Riot of 1857
, replaced Dickson upon joining the Metropolitan police in 1859. Relegated to the rank of police sergeant, he served under noted police captains John Jourdan, Thomas J. Kennedy and Edward Walsh.
As a Republican serving in the Tammany Hall
-dominated Sixth Ward, his career suffered due to his political views especially while under Jourdan. Tensions between the two men were further increased when Dickson beat out Jourdan as precinct captain of the Twenty-Eighth Precinct on May 1, 1860. During the New York Draft Riots
in 1863, he and drillmaster Theron S. Copeland
led a police detachment against rioters attacking African-Americans at Washington and LeRoy Streets. He sent men to recover the bodies of victims who had been killed during the riots, most notably, dispersing a mob on Clarkson Street to cut down the body of William Jones who had been hanged to a tree and tortured. Dickson remained at the precinct until July 11, 1869, when he was transferred to the Eleventh Precinct. Upon his departure, Dickson was presented with a house and a small lot in Harlem by local businessmen to show their appreciation for his years of diligent service in the area.
In the spring of 1870, Dickson became a police superintendent. Shortly after his transfer from the Eleventh to the Thirty-First Precinct however, he suddenly began come under considerable harassment and intentional obstruction of his duties. This would last from his arrival on July 28 until his resignation on August 20, 1870. He was immediately reappointed to a patrolman and assigned to the detective squad. However, his treatment by the police service had "broken his spirit, and his old energy was gone". He suffered from severe depression which greatly effected his health during his later years. When Inspector Thomas F. Byrnes became head of the detective squad, he was sent to the Tombs Police Court
where he remained for the rest of his career.
Dickson died of stomach cancer at his Stuyvesant Street home on September 12, 1880 and his funeral held at St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church. At the time of his death he was one of the oldest officers still active in the NYPD.
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
. He and drillmaster Theron S. Copeland
Theron S. Copeland
Theron S. Copeland was an American law enforcement officer and police captain with the New York City Police Department. He studied military tactics at a military academy and in the National Guard before joining the police force in 1855...
led a police squad during the New York Draft Riots
New York Draft Riots
The New York City draft riots were violent disturbances in New York City that were the culmination of discontent with new laws passed by Congress to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. The riots were the largest civil insurrection in American history apart from the Civil War itself...
which were dispatched against rioters attacking African-Americans. He was also the longtime head of the Tombs Police Court
The Tombs
"The Tombs" is the colloquial name for the Manhattan Detention Complex, a jail in Lower Manhattan at 125 White Street, as well as the popular name of a series of preceding downtown jails, the first of which was built in 1838 in the Egyptian Revival style of architecture.The nickname has been used...
and one of the oldest serving police officers on the police force at the time of his death in 1880.
Biography
John F. Dickson was born in New York City on November 30, 1821. He worked as a printer before his appointment the police force in 1850 and, upon the organization of the Metropolitan Police DepartmentNew York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
in 1857, joined the force as acting Captain of the Sixth Precinct. He remained in command of the precinct until Captain Joseph Dowling
Joseph Dowling
Joseph Dowling is a retired Irish Fianna Fáil politician. An auctioneer, Dowling was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South West constituency at the 1965 general election having previously stood in the 1961 election...
, who had formerly sided with Mayor Fernando Wood
Fernando Wood
Fernando Wood was an American politician of the Democratic Party and mayor of New York City; he also served as a United States Representative and as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means in both the 45th and 46th Congress .A successful shipping merchant who became Grand Sachem of the...
and the Municipal police force during the Police Riot of 1857
New York City Police Riot
The New York City Police Riot of 1857, known at the time as the Great Police Riot, was a conflict which occurred between the recently dissolved New York Municipal Police and the newly formed Metropolitan Police on June 16, 1857...
, replaced Dickson upon joining the Metropolitan police in 1859. Relegated to the rank of police sergeant, he served under noted police captains John Jourdan, Thomas J. Kennedy and Edward Walsh.
As a Republican serving in the Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
-dominated Sixth Ward, his career suffered due to his political views especially while under Jourdan. Tensions between the two men were further increased when Dickson beat out Jourdan as precinct captain of the Twenty-Eighth Precinct on May 1, 1860. During the New York Draft Riots
New York Draft Riots
The New York City draft riots were violent disturbances in New York City that were the culmination of discontent with new laws passed by Congress to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. The riots were the largest civil insurrection in American history apart from the Civil War itself...
in 1863, he and drillmaster Theron S. Copeland
Theron S. Copeland
Theron S. Copeland was an American law enforcement officer and police captain with the New York City Police Department. He studied military tactics at a military academy and in the National Guard before joining the police force in 1855...
led a police detachment against rioters attacking African-Americans at Washington and LeRoy Streets. He sent men to recover the bodies of victims who had been killed during the riots, most notably, dispersing a mob on Clarkson Street to cut down the body of William Jones who had been hanged to a tree and tortured. Dickson remained at the precinct until July 11, 1869, when he was transferred to the Eleventh Precinct. Upon his departure, Dickson was presented with a house and a small lot in Harlem by local businessmen to show their appreciation for his years of diligent service in the area.
In the spring of 1870, Dickson became a police superintendent. Shortly after his transfer from the Eleventh to the Thirty-First Precinct however, he suddenly began come under considerable harassment and intentional obstruction of his duties. This would last from his arrival on July 28 until his resignation on August 20, 1870. He was immediately reappointed to a patrolman and assigned to the detective squad. However, his treatment by the police service had "broken his spirit, and his old energy was gone". He suffered from severe depression which greatly effected his health during his later years. When Inspector Thomas F. Byrnes became head of the detective squad, he was sent to the Tombs Police Court
The Tombs
"The Tombs" is the colloquial name for the Manhattan Detention Complex, a jail in Lower Manhattan at 125 White Street, as well as the popular name of a series of preceding downtown jails, the first of which was built in 1838 in the Egyptian Revival style of architecture.The nickname has been used...
where he remained for the rest of his career.
Dickson died of stomach cancer at his Stuyvesant Street home on September 12, 1880 and his funeral held at St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church. At the time of his death he was one of the oldest officers still active in the NYPD.
Further reading
- Bernstein, Iver. The New York City Draft Riots: Their Significance for American Society and Politics in the Age of the Civil War. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.
- Cook, Adrian. The Armies of the Streets: The New York City Draft Riots of 1863. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1974.
- Costello, Augustine E. Our Police Protectors: History of the New York Police from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. New York: A.E. Costello, 1885.
- Hickey, John J. Our Police Guardians: History of the Police Department of the City of New York, and the Policing of Same for the Past One Hundred Years. New York: John J. Hickey, 1925.
- McCague, James. The Second Rebellion: The Story of the New York City Draft Riots of 1863. New York: Dial Press, 1968.