Memorable Manitobans: Francis Jeffrey Dickens (1844-1886)

Police officer.

He was born in January 1844, in London, England, the son of author Charles Dickens. After desultory employment in journalism he obtained acommission in the Bengal Mounted Police and served for years in India. In 1874-- his inheritance dissipated -- his sister got him an appointment with the North West Mounted Police. He first served at Dufferin, Manitoba, but then moved further west, later commanding the detachment at Fort Pitt. Hewas not a very successful officer. He had a brief encounter with battle in the 1885 Northwest Rebellion and left the force in 1886.

Dickens gave public readings in Winnipeg, under the auspices of the Manitoba Historical Society, on 5 and 6 June 1888.

He died at Moline, Illinois on 11 June 1886, where he is buried.

More information:

Tragic Events at Frog Lake and Fort Pitt During the North West Rebellion, Part 1 byW. J. McLean
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 17, Number 2, Winter 1972

Dufferin: Then and Now
Manitoba History, Number 23, Spring 1992

Diary of Francis Dickens by Vernon LaChance, editor (1930).

Francis Jeffrey Dickens, Dictionary of Canadian Biography XI, 261-62.

Sources:

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

Page revised: 20 February 2008

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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