ONLINE EXHIBIT
William J. Dickenson
1827 - 1907
William J. Dickenson was born on December 3, 1827
in Russell County. He was a lawyer by profession. In 1856, when
Wise County was established, there were no lawyers in the county.
Six lawyers from surrounding counties were given the oath to
practice law in Wise County. William Dickenson was one of these
first six. At age 32, Dickenson lived in Lebanon.
Dickenson was a delegate to
the General Assembly from Russell County in 1880. He was part
of the Re-adjuster Party. The Re-adjusters key political proposal
was to re-adjust the existing state debt, rather than pay it
in full. The Re-adjusters stretched out payments, rather than
paying off previously incurred debts. This allowed them to fund
new schools, roads, etc. Most of the debt was incurred prior to
the Civil War. As a delegate, Dickenson played a major role in
establishing a new Southwestern Virginia County. Due to his efforts,
the county was named Dickenson County.
