John Richard Dickinson
Comment: improve writing, follow WP:MOS, and remove primary sources for notability FuzzyMagma (talk) 12:05, 10 August 2026 (UTC)
Tula 1992:
John Richard Dickinson (born April 13, 1948) is an American community activist, former cannabis smuggler, historic-cemetery preservation advocate, and participant in cannabis-policy debates in Washington state. He became involved in international cannabis trafficking during the 1970s and early 1980s and was subsequently the subject of federal criminal proceedings. Decades later, Dickinson became known in Seattle for his prolonged campaign concerning the preservation and historical documentation of Comet Lodge Cemetery.[1]
Early life and education
Dickinson was born in Washington state in 1948 and grew up in Hoodsport, a small community on Hood Canal. His mother was a teacher and his father held civic positions in the community.[2]
His later oral history describes an intermittent educational career involving political science, art, technical courses and other subjects. He eventually completed a master’s degree at Seattle University in 1995.[2]
During the late 1960s Dickinson traveled extensively outside the United States. In a 1999 oral-history interview, he described an overland journey beginning in 1968 through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India to Kathmandu, Nepal.[2]
Cannabis smuggling and maritime activities
Dickinson became involved in cannabis smuggling during the late 1960s and 1970s. His activities eventually included international operations involving marijuana and hashish.[2]
In his later oral history, Dickinson described operations involving Colombia and Lebanon and the use of ships, including the Alysse Maru, a former minesweeper acquired around 1978.[2]
Contemporary newspaper reporting subsequently described Dickinson as a significant target of federal drug investigations.[3]
Arrest and federal proceedings
Dickinson was arrested in New York in 1981 during a federal investigation into international drug trafficking. Contemporary press coverage reported that he was initially held on $5 million bail.[3]
In 1982, Dickinson was convicted in federal court of failing to report the transportation of $860,000 in currency from the United States to Britain and of offenses involving false statements in passport applications. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit subsequently reversed the felony currency-reporting conviction while leaving a misdemeanor reporting offense in place.[4]
While imprisoned, Dickinson was called before a federal grand jury and refused to testify after receiving use immunity. He was held in civil contempt. After approximately eight months, a federal judge concluded that continued confinement was unlikely to compel his testimony and substituted a $1,500-per-day fine. The Second Circuit affirmed that decision.[4]
In 1986, Dickinson was the subject of another federal criminal proceeding in Maine, Criminal No. 86-00034-B-01, in the United States District Court for the District of Maine.[5] Documentary material concerning the Maine case describes an alleged importation of approximately 40,000 pounds of hashish. The allegation is distinguished from later judicial findings and procedural history.[5]
Later cannabis-policy activity
Following Washington’s legalization of recreational cannabis, Dickinson participated publicly in discussions concerning implementation of the state’s new regulatory system.[6]
Patrick Radden Keefe discussed Dickinson and his participation in Washington cannabis-policy meetings in the 2013 New Yorker article “Buzzkill”.[6]
Dickinson also appeared in national and local broadcast media.
Comet Lodge Cemetery
Preservation campaign
During the 1990s, Dickinson became involved in researching and attempting to restore Comet Lodge Cemetery, a historic cemetery on Seattle’s Beacon Hill. His interest was partly genealogical: members of his family were buried there.[1][7]
A transcription of King County Property Services Division burial information contains 494 burial records for Comet Lodge, including members of the Dickinson family.[8]
Dickinson’s research developed into a prolonged campaign concerning the cemetery’s boundaries, displaced gravestones, development of portions of the historic property and government responsibility for the site.[1][9]
Development and sewer construction
Historical accounts describe substantial changes to the former cemetery property during the twentieth century. Portions were developed for residential use, and gravestones were displaced or destroyed.[10][7]
Published accounts describe city sewer construction through the cemetery in 1987 and the bulldozing or displacement of grave markers during that period.[10][11]
Research material includes aerial photographs labeled 1936, 1946 and 1956 illustrating changes around the cemetery and an area identified as “babyland.”[11]
The original plat of Comet Lodge Cemetery No. 139, I.O.O.F., King County, Washington, shows the numbered cemetery lots and surrounding streets.[12]
Dispute with Seattle and King County
Dickinson organized volunteers and undertook restoration work under a permit issued by King County. A published history states that the permit was valid for five years.[7]
His work subsequently led to disputes with government agencies and neighboring property owners concerning vegetation removal, environmental protections, the boundaries of the cemetery and the extent to which residential property overlapped the historic burial ground.[1]
In a December 5, 1997 letter responding to Dickinson, Seattle’s Department of Construction and Land Use stated that it had no basis for concluding that the residential properties Dickinson identified had previously been used for burials. The same letter referred to Dickinson’s work as a “cemetery restoration project” and warned him about vegetation clearing in an environmentally critical area.[13]
The controversy generated substantial local news coverage.
Rick Anderson’s 2006 Seattle Weekly article “No Stone Unturned” reported extensively on criticism of Dickinson’s methods, disputes with neighbors, government enforcement actions and Dickinson’s position concerning the cemetery. Despite its critical treatment, the article credited his campaign with forcing government officials to address the long-neglected cemetery.[1]
Other independent newspaper, book and institutional sources have subsequently discussed Dickinson’s role in the cemetery’s modern history.[10][7][9]
The disputes produced litigation involving Seattle and King County. Relevant case records include City of Seattle v. John Dickinson, Civil Case No. 98-027;[14] Seattle v. Dickinson, No. 98-2-26953-SEA;[15] and King County v. John Dickinson, No. 98-2-01432-6SEA.[16]
Political activity
Dickinson later ran for public office in Washington state, including campaigns for the Washington House of Representatives.
Media appearances
Dickinson has appeared in newspaper, magazine and television coverage concerning cannabis, Comet Lodge Cemetery and other subjects.
During television coverage of the kidnapping of Captain Richard Phillips by Somali pirates, Dickinson appeared live on MSNBC with Contessa Brewer to discuss his own experience with a ship hijacking. An on-screen MSNBC caption identified him as “JOHN DICKINSON — SHIP WAS HIJACKED BY PIRATES IN 1978”.
Photo gallery
-
Comet Lodge Cemetery sign, photographed November 8, 2008. -
Grouping of gravestones on the east side of Comet Lodge Cemetery, photographed November 23, 2008. -
Grave marker in the form of a tree trunk at Comet Lodge Cemetery, photographed November 23, 2008. -
Grouping of gravestones at Comet Lodge Cemetery, photographed November 23, 2008.
Sources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Anderson, Rick (October 9, 2006). "Who's the grave robber?". Seattle Weekly.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Michael Ritter (August 2–5, 1999). Riders from the Storm: An Oral History of Cannabis Smuggling (oral-history interview with John Dickinson). Seattle. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Customs Collars Caller". The East Hampton Star. October 29, 1981.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 In re John Dickinson, a Potential Witness Before the Grand Jury, F.2d (2d Cir. May 28, 1985).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 United States v. Dickenson, F. Supp. (D. Me. 1986).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Keefe, Patrick Radden (November 18, 2013). "Buzzkill". The New Yorker.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 4Culture (2023). Culturally Significant Places on Beacon Hill (Report).
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Comet Lodge Cemetery burial records". King County Property Services Division. Missing or empty
|url=(help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Davis, Jefferson; Al Eufrasio (2008). Weird Washington: Your Travel Guide to Washington’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets. Sterling. pp. 16–19. Search this book on
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Shephard, Arla (October 31, 2008). "The Ghosts of Comet Lodge Cemetery". The Daily of the University of Washington.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 John Dickinson. Comet Lodge Cemetery research file (historical research file).
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Plat of Comet Lodge Cemetery No. 139, I.O.O.F., King Co., Wash" (historical cemetery plat). Missing or empty
|url=(help) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 Seattle Department of Construction and Land Use (December 5, 1997). (Letter). Letter to John Dickinson. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 City of Seattle v. John Dickinson (1998).
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Seattle v. Dickinson (1998).
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 King County v. John Dickinson (1998).
Further reading
- Jefferson Davis and Al Eufrasio, Weird Washington: Your Travel Guide to Washington’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets, Sterling, 2008, pp. 16–19.
- Michael Ritter, Riders from the Storm: An Oral History of Cannabis Smuggling, interview with John Dickinson, Seattle, August 2–5, 1999.
- Arla Shephard, “The Ghosts of Comet Lodge Cemetery”, The Daily of the University of Washington, October 31, 2008.
- Patrick Radden Keefe, “Buzzkill”, The New Yorker, November 18, 2013.
- Comet Lodge Cemetery burial compilations, including King County-derived, Interment.net, and WorldPerc records.
This article "John Richard Dickinson" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:John Richard Dickinson. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
