Bob Dickey

On April 4, 1999, State Senator Stan Schellpeper, who represented the 18th district, died in office.^[3] Governor Mike Johanns appointed Dickey to serve until a 2000 special election,^[2] and he was sworn in on April 27, 1999.^[4]

On December 21, 2000, Dickey mailed copies of a book titled Abandonment Theology — the Clergy and the Decline of American Christianity — an Action Guide to Save America to other members of the legislature. The book argued that homosexuality was immoral and that God opposed women serving in combat roles. Doug Kristensen, the Speaker of the Legislature, noted that while he would "feel uncomfortable" about distributing the book himself, Dickey was allowed do so.^[5]

Dickey ran in the special election to serve out the remaining two years of Schellpeper's term, and was challenged by grocer Doug Cunningham and lawyer Chuck Meyer.^[6] In the primary election, Cunningham placed first, winning 47 percent of the vote to Dickey's 41 percent.^[7] They advanced to the general election,^[8] where Cunningham won by a wide margin, defeating Dickey, 57-43 percent.^[7][9]

Following Dickey's departure from the legislature in 2001, he served on the Nebraska Corn Board and as the president and chairman of the National Corn Growers Association.^[10]