William K. Dickey
Encyclopedia
William K. 'Bill' Dickey (September 12, 1920 – November 3, 2008) was an American
lawyer and Republican Party politician who served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly
and as chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority
.
. He attended Collingswood High School
, graduating in 1939. An eye injury at the age of 16 exempted him from active military service, but after graduating from high school he served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve
. He also supported his family by working full-time on the night shift at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden
.
Dickey graduated from the College of South Jersey (now Rutgers-Camden
) in 1941 and from the South Jersey Law School (now Rutgers School of Law - Camden
) in 1944. He later earned a B.A.
degree from the University of Pennsylvania
.
He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1945 and opened a legal practice in Collingswood
in 1950. He maintained the office until his retirement in 2007. He served eight years as a municipal judge for Collingswood, Gibbsboro
, and Medford. He was also elected president of the New Jersey Jaycees.
Dickey became active in Republican politics in Camden County
, serving as chairman of the Collingswood Republican Club for 16 years. In 1962 he was named Camden County Republican Campaign Chairman. The following year he was elected to the first of five consecutive terms in the New Jersey General Assembly
.
In the Assembly, Dickey was selected as Minority Leader in 1967, Majority Leader in 1968 and 1969, and Speaker in 1970. In 1973, he lost his bid for reelection in a statewide Democratic landslide in the wake of the Watergate scandal
. He also ran unsuccessfully for the Assembly in 1975 and 1977.
In 1980, at the age of 60, Dickey married Irene Campbell, a divorcee with four children. They had known each other since high school.
In 1983, Governor Thomas Kean
appointed Dickey to the Board of Commissioners for the Delaware River Port Authority
. He served as chairman from 1985 to 1987, and remained on the board until 1994.
Dickey retired from his Collingswood legal practice in 2007. He died in 2008 at the age of 88 at his home in Haddonfield
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer and Republican Party politician who served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
and as chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority
Delaware River Port Authority
The Delaware River Port Authority is a bi-state instrumentality created by a Congressionally approved interstate compact between the governments of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey...
.
Biography
Dickey was born in 1920 in Westmont, Haddon Township, New JerseyHaddon Township, New Jersey
Haddon Township is a Township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 14,707....
. He attended Collingswood High School
Collingswood High School
Collingswood High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Collingswood in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Collingswood Public Schools....
, graduating in 1939. An eye injury at the age of 16 exempted him from active military service, but after graduating from high school he served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve
United States Coast Guard Reserve
The United States Coast Guard Reserve is the reserve component of the United States Coast Guard. It is organized, trained, administered, and supplied under the direction of the Commandant of the Coast Guard through the Director of Reserve and Leadership....
. He also supported his family by working full-time on the night shift at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
.
Dickey graduated from the College of South Jersey (now Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers-Camden
Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey, USA , is a state-funded, coeducational, public, research university. Founded in the 1920s, Rutgers–Camden began as an amalgam of the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey. It is the southernmost of the three regional campuses of Rutgers,...
) in 1941 and from the South Jersey Law School (now Rutgers School of Law - Camden
Rutgers School of Law - Camden
Rutgers School of Law–Camden is a public law school of Rutgers University located in Camden, New Jersey on the Delaware Waterfront. It is one of two law schools of Rutgers University and one of only three law schools in the state of New Jersey...
) in 1944. He later earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
.
He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1945 and opened a legal practice in Collingswood
Collingswood, New Jersey
Collingswood is a borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 13,926....
in 1950. He maintained the office until his retirement in 2007. He served eight years as a municipal judge for Collingswood, Gibbsboro
Gibbsboro, New Jersey
Gibbsboro is a Borough in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,274.Gibbsboro was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1924, from portions of Voorhees Township, based on the results of a...
, and Medford. He was also elected president of the New Jersey Jaycees.
Dickey became active in Republican politics in Camden County
Camden County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census the population of Camden County was 60.28% Non-Hispanic white, 18.45% Non-Hispanic black, 1.12% Hispanic blacks, 0.17% Non-Hispanic Native American, 0.15% Hispanic Native Americans, 5.07% Non-Hispanic Asian, and 0.14% non-Hispanics reporting some other race...
, serving as chairman of the Collingswood Republican Club for 16 years. In 1962 he was named Camden County Republican Campaign Chairman. The following year he was elected to the first of five consecutive terms in the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
.
In the Assembly, Dickey was selected as Minority Leader in 1967, Majority Leader in 1968 and 1969, and Speaker in 1970. In 1973, he lost his bid for reelection in a statewide Democratic landslide in the wake of the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
. He also ran unsuccessfully for the Assembly in 1975 and 1977.
In 1980, at the age of 60, Dickey married Irene Campbell, a divorcee with four children. They had known each other since high school.
In 1983, Governor Thomas Kean
Thomas Kean
Thomas Howard Kean is an American Republican Party politician, who served as the 48th Governor of New Jersey from 1982 to 1990. Kean is best known globally, however, for his 2002 appointment as Chairman of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, widely known as the...
appointed Dickey to the Board of Commissioners for the Delaware River Port Authority
Delaware River Port Authority
The Delaware River Port Authority is a bi-state instrumentality created by a Congressionally approved interstate compact between the governments of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey...
. He served as chairman from 1985 to 1987, and remained on the board until 1994.
Dickey retired from his Collingswood legal practice in 2007. He died in 2008 at the age of 88 at his home in Haddonfield
Haddonfield, New Jersey
Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 11,593....
.
External links
- William K. Dickey at The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...