A gift­ed ac­a­dem­ic, Dick­in­son be­gan teach­ing at Al­ba­ny Acad­e­my around 1867. He went on to grad­u­ate from Phil­lips Acad­e­my, An­do­ver, Mass­a­chu­setts (1872); Har­vard Un­i­ver­si­ty (1876); and An­do­ver Sem­in­a­ry in (1879). He was or­dained a Con­gre­ga­tion­al min­is­ter in 1879, pas­tor­ing in Port­land, Maine; Lowell, Mass­a­chu­setts (1882-1888); and at the Berk­e­ley Street Church, Bos­ton, Mass­a­chu­setts. While in Bos­ton, Dick­in­son cru­sad­ed for the bet­ter­ment of the city’s poor, and his ef­forts helped lead to the es­tab­lish­ment of the Bos­ton Floating Hospital. In 1894, he found­ed the Kurn Hat­tin Homes in West­min­ster, Ver­mont, which serves un­der­pri­vi­leged child­ren. He re­tired in 1899 due to ill health, and moved to Co­ro­na, Cal­i­for­nia.

In his eulogy, delivered by a close friend, was this quote:

In this life, 58 years, In active pas­torates, 22 years, In in­flu­ence and in­spir­a­tion, his works do fol­low him.

Sources

Hymns

1. Blessed Mas­ter, I Have Promised
2. O Golden Day! So Long Desired
3. To Thee, O Savior Friend