Alan J. Dixon
Born: 1927 in Belleville, Illinois
Died: July 13, 2014 in Fairview Heights, Illinois Pen Name: None Connection to Illinois: Dixon was born and lived most of his life in Belleville, Illinois. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois. At the time of his death, he resided in Fairview Heights, Illinois. Biography: Known as ''Al the Pal'' for his accommodating style, Alan J. Dixon, built a reputation over a decades-long political career that began when he ran for police magistrate in Belleville at age 21 and continued even after his departure from the Senate in 1993.After becoming police magistrate, Dixon was was elected to various Illinois state offices including: Illinois House of Representatives from 1951 to 1963, Illinois State Senate from 1963 to 1971, Illinois State Treasurer from 1971 to 1977 and Illinois Secretary of State from 1977 to 1981. He served as United States Senator from Illinois from 1981 until 1993.After Dixon finished out his second Senate term, he returned to Illinois, and became a partner in the law firm of Bryan Cave in St. Louis, Missouri. In July of 2013, he was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Illinois Center for the Book by Secretary of State and State Librarian, Jesse White. Dixon passed on July 13, 2014 at his home in Fairview Heights, Illinois. He will always be remembered as ''The Gentleman from Illinois.''
Awards:
Selected Titles
The Gentleman from Illinois : ISBN: 0809332604 OCLC: 856870493 Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale : 2013. In 1993, Alan J. Dixon's political career came to an end with a defeat-the first one in his forty-three years of elected service. Beginning his legislative career in 1950 as a Democrat in the Illinois House of Representatives, Dixon also served in the Illinois State Senate, worked as state treasurer and secretary of state, and concluded his political career as a U.S. senator. The Gentleman from Illinois is an insider's account of Illinois politics in the second half of the twentieth century, providing readers with fascinating stories about the people he encountered and eve. |