The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-12
Col J. j. Dickey. Brother of c. Ii. Dicksy of Honolulu



All old settlers of Omaha and by far
the larger proportion of new ones will
identify the portrait on the title page of
the Examiner this week as that of Col |
j. ]. Dickey, who is universally known
at home and widely known abroad as
the oldest young man in this section
Were it not for his genial, companion
able and wholly unselffsh nature and his
ever conspicuous good humor, Col. Dick
ey would be the focus OF envy of every
old pioneer of the city, for most of his
old acquaintances OF more than thirty
years here have worried and hurried
through the middIe-age period and start
ed out reluctantly upon the decline of
life, while Col Diekey has chung tenaci-
ously and successfully to the spirit and
action of young and sturdy manhood.
Although he has been one of the
very busiest, most successful and most
effective workers in the development OF
the great west, Col. Dickey has not
made himself slave to ambition or sac
rificed health, comfort or reasonable
convenience TO a desire for gain. While
ever alert to the demands of duty involv-
ing great responsibilities and vast in
terests of his own and others he has
ever led a somewhat methodical life. He
has belonged TO the robust and healthful
Don't worry club and has never al
lowed his good standing in the organic
alton to lapse. lie has chung to the AK
ION, DUN vivimus, ViYarnus,' and while
others stewed, fretted and repined, he
has methodically pursued the healthfui,
happy and contentsd way of life, so that
wifi iStN of fruitful and
active past in retrospect, he is inspired
by a spirit Of youthful buoyancy which
prompts him 10 expect with reason that
he will round the century mark in good
order
Few of those who enjoy Col Dickey's
congeuial conlpanionship would suspect
that it was so long ago as April II, 1889,
that he made his advent into the world
| at Rushville, III. Few who meet him
socially enjoy anything like an adequate
conception of the heTculean part he has
borne in founding q western empire out
| of a disheartening desert and in provid-
| ing its restless and ambitious millions
with the most useful scientific utilities.
| He is really one OF the Oldest practical
photographers. if not the Oldest, in the
| country in point of continuous service
He was the active factor in the introduce
| ton of the telephone to the entire region
| Col Dickey was 2 mere boy, but six
| teen years old, when he left the home
of his father, Hon. r. Lyle Dickey. and
struck out westward IN search of the
golden fleece that IS the dream of every
| young lad OF spirit. He went first TO
Missouri where, despite his extreme
youth, he successfully taught school for
one winter. A year later he was teach
ing school in Iowa and in the winter OF
ha obi IN nj n q
Bells Commercial College in Chicago
During the following three years he
turned to account his commercial train
ing by keeping books in Michigan anG
Wisconsin Returning to Chicago in
1860 he remained there 2. short time, after
which he went to Ottawa, Ill, There
while employed in the private office o.
; Judge John D. Cation, he devoted his
leisure hours to study of biography
; In 1861 he became general bookkeepe1
for the Illinois & Mississippi Telegraph
. Company, a position he held for five
, years. When the lines were leased t
; the Western Union Company youn:
Dickey was transferred to the office o
the Western Union superintendent il
Chicago as chief clerk,
1t was in 1869 that Mr. Dickey wa
lured TO Omaha by an appointment a
. superintendent of the Union Pacific Tel
: egraph Company. While serving in tina
= capacity he was actively interested IL
the development Of the now fmmens
telegraph service of the west. In 1881, il
; addition to his duties as superintendent
of the Union Pacific Telegraph Company
q he assumed by appointment the position
: of superintendent Of the western terri
! tory of the Western Union Telegraph
: tCompany For several years he hell
both positions, but he finally retire
from the Union Pacific and devoted hi
attention to charging the domain an
business of the Western Union.
n He has ever since served as the West
! ern Union Company's superintendent a
: Omaha, and the estimate placed by tina
| company upon the value of his servic
4 is attested by the fact that his jurisdic
ton extends over sixteen states and ter
ritories west of the Mississippi river, be
4 ing the largest territory held by West
ern Union Superintendent.
: To Col. Dickey is largely due the prom
iuenca and efficacy of the telephone serV
ice of the entire west. In 1878 in com
pany with Mr.. L. II. Korty and Mr.. II
T. Jennison, he introduced the telephon
9 70 Omaha. establishing the first eXchang
here in 1879 1t was Col Dickey's kee
business sagacity and thorough concep
ton of the important part that electri
city was destined to play in the marc
, of progress that located one of the ear
Hest and best telephone exchanges j
= the United States in Omaha These gen
q tlemen bought the telephone rights c
Omaha and Council Bluffs. Subsequent