Milltown, Delaware, and Dickinson Hall at the University of Delaware. Almanac Delaware elections were held October 1 and members of the General Assembly took office on October 20 or the following weekday. The State Legislative Council was created in 1776 and its Legislative Councilmen had a three-year term. Beginning in 1792 it was renamed the State Senate. State Assemblymen had a one-year term. The whole General Assembly chose the State President for a three-year term. Pennsylvania elections were held in October as well. Assemblymen had a one-year term. The Pennsylvania Supreme Executive Council was created in 1776, and counsellors were popularly elected for three-year terms. A joint ballot of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Council chose the president from among the twelve counsellors for a one-year term. Both assemblies chose the Continental Congressmen for a one-year term as well as the delegates to the U.S. Constitution Convention. In popular culture Dickinson is a prominent character in the musical drama 1776, billed third after the parts of Adams and Franklin. He was originally portrayed on stage by Paul Hecht, and in the 1972 film adaptation by Donald Madden. Michael Cumpsty portrayed him in the 1997 revival. His portrayal in this musical differs substantially from reality: instead of abstaining from voting and debating, he acts as John Adams' primary antagonist in the debates over independence, to the point where the two men come to blows. His motivation in the musical is to convince the delegates to come to peace terms with Britain, rather than to seek reforms through civil disobedience and other nonviolent measures and for the colonies to mature before seeking independence. Also his wife Mary Norris does not appear in the musical at all, despite being present in Philadelphia at the time, whereas Abigail Adams and Martha Jefferson are heavily depicted, despite being in Boston and Virginia, respectively, at the time. In 1997 John Dickinson is portrayed by actor Victor Garber in Liberty! The American Revolution In Part II of the 2008 HBO series John Adams, based on the book by David McCullough, the part of Dickinson is played by Zeljko Ivanek. As portrayed in the 2015 miniseries Sons of Liberty Dickinson is shown continually speaking out against prematurely fighting the British and voting on the idea of a Declaration of Independence. He suggests a request first be made from the Continental Congress to the British King, in the form of the Olive Branch Petition. The program gives no indication that Dickinson would author the petition. As the Congress votes on independence, the miniseries portrays Dickinson getting up and leaving the room without explanation, and no summary was given of his overall contributions to the American Revolution or what would become of him later. Dickinson was honored with a brief mention in season 7, episode 4 of South Park, "I'm a Little Bit Country". Notes References Bibliography External links Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Delaware's Governors Delmarva Heritage Series Revolution to Reconstruction Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution University of Pennsylvania Archives ExplorePAHistory.com The R.R. Logan Collection of John Dickinson Papers are available for research use at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. More information Delaware Historical Society – website University of Delaware – Library website Historical Society of Pennsylvania – website John Dickinson Plantation – website Wilmington Quaker Meeting House (burial site) Category:1732 births Category:1808 deaths Category:American Quakers Category:Continental Congressmen from Delaware Category:Continental Congressmen from Pennsylvania Category:18th-century American politicians Category:Delaware Democratic-Republicans Category:Delaware lawyers Category:Delaware state senators Category:Governors of Delaware Category:Governors of Pennsylvania Category:Members of the Middle Temple Category:Members of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly Category:Militia generals in the American Revolution