William Louis Dickinson
| William Louis "Bill" Dickinson | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 2nd district |
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In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | George M. Grant |
| Succeeded by | Terry Everett |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 5, 1925 Opelika, Lee County, Alabama, USA |
| Died | March 31, 2008 (aged 82) Montgomery, Alabama |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Alabama Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Battles/wars | European Theatre of World War II |
William Louis "Bill" Dickinson (June 5, 1925 – March 31, 2008), was a Republican Representative from Alabama's 2nd congressional district from 1965 to 1993.
Dickinson was born in Opelika in Lee County, Alabama. He served in the United States Navy during World War II in the European Theater. After returning from the war, he graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in Tuscaloosa.
Dickinson practiced law for two years before being elected as a Democrat as a Lee County judge. In 1958, he was elevated to the position of state judge, from which he resigned in 1962. He then worked as an executive for the Southern Railway.
In 1964, he ran for Congress as a Republican in the 2nd District, which was anchored by Montgomery and included most of the southeastern portion of the state. He defeated 14-term incumbent Democrat George M. Grant by a shocking 25-point margin. Almost none of the district's living residents had been represented by a Republican before, and Dickinson was the first Republican to challenge Grant. However, as was the case in most of Alabama, most of the 2nd District's voters turned against the Democrats when U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Dickinson was also the beneficiary of long coattails from Barry Goldwater, who carried many of the counties in the district by staggering margins (well over 70% in most cases).
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