William Hickey Biography


	This biography appears on pages 763-764 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" 	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and 
	was scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				WILLIAM HICKEY. 

	In the various public offices which he has filled William Hickey 
of Yankton has proved himself a public-spirited citizen, devoted to the 
general welfare. Again and again he has been called to serve his fellow 
townsmen in positions of public honor and trust and since retiring from 
the office of sheriff in 1910 he has concentrated his attention upon 
auctioneering, in which he has engaged for many years. He was born in 
Lafayette county, Wisconsin, June 22, 1861. His father, Thomas Hickey, 
a native of Ireland, removed to Wisconsin with his parents when a lad 
of fourteen years. He was a son of Edward Hickey, who in 1849 went to 
California, attracted by the discovery of gold upon the Pacific slope. 
He died while in that state and was buried at Sacramento. His son 
Thomas Hickey made farming his life work and in the year 1869 arrived 
in Yankton county, where he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of 
land nine miles northeast of the city of Yankton. For eighteen years 
thereafter he was actively identified with the agricultural development 
of the region and passed away in 1887, at the age of fifty-two years. 
His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Doyle, was also a native of 
Ireland and in her childhood days was brought to the United States, 
becoming a resident of Wisconsin. She died in the year 1875. 

	William Hickey was the fourth in order of birth in a family of 
five sons and four daughters and was a little lad of about eight years 
at the time of the removal of his parents to South Dakota, so that his 
youth was largely passed upon the old homestead farm in Yankton county. 
His education was acquired in the country schools and through the 
periods of vacation he worked in the fields After his textbooks were 
put aside he gave his entire attention to farm work on the home place 
and later he began farming on his own account, being thus engaged until 
he was called to public office. Appreciation of his worth and 
capability on the part of his fellow townsmen led to his election to 
the office of sheriff in 1896 and the excellent record which he made 
during the first term resulted in his reelection in 1898. He was also 
chief of police of Yankton and, becoming identified with commercial 
interests of the city, conducted an implement business, which he 
founded in 1898. He was once more elected sheriff in 1906 and again in 
1908, so that his incumbency in that office has covered four terms, or 
eight years. His duties were ever discharged without fear or favor and 
he continued in office until 1910. Since that time he has engaged in 
auctioneering. It is no new business to him, for he has followed it for 
many years to a greater or less extent and has cried many of the 
largest sales in this part of the state. 

	In 1889 Mr. Hickey was united in marriage to Miss Mary Flynn, who 
was born in Whitewater, Wisconsin, a daughter of Martin and Sarah 
(Riley) Flynn. She died September 7, 1911, leaving four children, 
Florence C., James W., Genevieve and Kathryn Beatrice. Mr. Hickey and 
his family are communicants of the Catholic church. He enjoys hunting, 
motoring and out-of-door sports and his many friends find him a genial 
and entertaining companion. He casts an independent local ballot, while 
he votes with the democratic party where national issues are involved. 
He has membership with various fraternal organizations, including the 
Elks, the Maccabees, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Eagles. 
Appreciative of friendship, he is popular among his fellow citizens, as 
is indicated in the many times he has been elected to office and in the 
cordial terms in which everyone speaks of him.