Lewis Pessano "Buttercup" Dickerson (October 11, 1858 – July 23, 1920) was a 19th-century Major League Baseball outfielder. Born in Tyaskin, Maryland, he played a total of seven seasons in the majors, splitting time between eight teams in three different leagues. His Italian Ancestry is highly doubtful, however, as historian Lawrence Baldassaro (author of Baseball, Italian Style and Beyond DiMaggio) and one family member dispute this notion.

In 1878, he began his career with the Cincinnati Reds at the age of 19, and played 29 games in the outfield, but did not find himself a regular starting position until the following year. In 1879, he took over the regular left field job after Charley Jones departed for the Boston Red Caps. That season proved to be his best in the majors; he batted .294, drove in 57 runs, and hit a league-leading 14 triples.

Buttercup departed the team the next season, moving on to the Troy Trojans, where he played mainly in center field. He relocated to the Worcester Ruby Legs later that season and split time in center with Harry Stovey. In 1881, he moved over to left field and had a very productive season, batting .316. He did not play in the majors again until 1883, playing 85 games with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. His production went down significantly, and he hit just .249.

He played for four teams over the next two seasons. His best showing was with the St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association, when he hit .365 in 46 games in 1884. In 1885, he played in five games for the Buffalo Bisons before his career came to an end.

Dickerson died at the age of 61 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was interred at Loudon Park Cemetery in Baltimore. In 1979, he was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.

(excerpted from Baseball Almanac, BR Bullpen & Wikipedia)