MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Former Alabama Congressman Bill Dickinson, part of the Barry Goldwater sweep that helped turn Alabama into a two-party state, died last night. He was 82.

Longtime aide Walter Bamberg said Dickinson passed away at his Montgomery home after suffering from colon cancer.

Dickinson, a former judge in city, juvenile and circuit courts in Opelika, was one of several Democrats recruited to change parties in 1974 and run as Republicans for Congress in a state that had been solidly Democratic for a century.

Dickinson served on the House Armed Services Committee, where he became the ranking Republican member. On the committee, Dickinson was an ardent defender of military spending through the Vietnam War and protected military bases that were an important part of Alabama's economy.

Dickinson's funeral is tentatively planned for Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Montgomery, with the time to be determined. Burial will be in Opelika.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara, and four children.

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