Alan J. Dixon
Alan J. Dixon | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Illinois | |
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1993 | |
Preceded by | Adlai Stevenson III |
Succeeded by | Carol Moseley Braun |
34th Secretary of State of Illinois | |
In office January 10, 1977 – January 12, 1981 | |
Governor | James R. Thompson |
Preceded by | Michael Howlett |
Succeeded by | Jim Edgar |
65th Treasurer of Illinois | |
In office January 11, 1971 – January 10, 1977 | |
Governor | Richard B. Ogilvie Dan Walker |
Preceded by | Charles W. Woodford |
Succeeded by | Donald R. Smith |
Personal details | |
Born | Alan John Dixon July 7, 1927 |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Navy |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Alan John Dixon (July 7, 1927 – July 6, 2014) was an American politician and member of the
Early life
Born in
State political career
General Assembly
Dixon served as a member of the
Karl Rove and the Dixon campaign incident
In the fall of 1970,
1976 elections
In 1976, Dixon was elected Illinois Secretary of State. The 1976 Illinois State election was turbulent for the Democratic Party. Outgoing Governor Dan Walker had lost the support of the party and was defeated in the primary election. Dixon's election as Secretary of State left two years on his term as State Treasurer. To prevent Walker from appointing himself or anyone else to the position, Dixon proposed to incoming Republican Governor James R. Thompson that he would resign after Thompson was inaugurated if Thompson agreed to Dixon's choice for State Treasurer. Dixon's choice was Donald R. Smith, a Republican who was the ranking Civil Service employee in the State Treasurer's office and who had agreed not to run for re-election.
Dixon served as Secretary of State until 1981, when he took office as a
United States Senate
Dixon was generally considered a moderate and was less visible nationally than either of his Illinois colleagues,
Braun, a black woman, had the complete support of black voters, and as a known reformist liberal got a large share of liberal voters, and also attracted many women voters in what was termed "The Year of the Woman".
Another factor was the third candidate in the race, multi-millionaire attorney Al Hofeld. Hofeld drew away some of the moderate and conservative Democrats who normally supported Dixon. He also spent a large amount of money running advertisements attacking Dixon, weakening his support.
The Chicago Tribune ran a piece in which Eric Zorn claimed that Dixon's voting to confirm Clarence Thomas in 1991 set off a chain of events that led to Barack Obama's election as president in 2008.[6]
Later life and death
Dixon chaired the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 1994 and 1995.
After his term in the Senate, Dixon resumed practicing law with the
His autobiography, The Gentleman from Illinois: Stories from Forty Years of Elective Public Service, was published in 2013 by Southern Illinois University Press.
Awards
Alan J. Dixon was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 1994 in the area of Government.[8]
Electoral history
- 1980 General Election – U.S. Senate
- Alan J. Dixon (D), 56.0%
- Dave O'Neal (R), 42.5%
- 1986 General Election – U.S. Senate
- Alan J. Dixon (D) (inc.), 65.4%
- Judy Koehler (R), 34.1%
- 1992 Democratic Primary – U.S. Senate
- Carol Moseley Braun (D), 38.30%
- Alan J. Dixon (D) (inc.), 34.61%
- Albert Hofeld (D), 27.09%
References
- ^ United States Congress. "DIXON, Alan John (id: D000366)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 7, 2014.
- Washington Post Company. p. C1.
- ^ 'Illinois Blue Book 1979–1980,' Alan J. Dixon-Secretary of State, pg. 24–25
- Washington Post Company. p. A01.
Nan Aron, president of the Alliance for Justice, said [...] 'History shows us that voters turned on Alan Dixon for his vote on Clarence Thomas and voters gave Arlen Specter the toughest reelection of his life.'
- ^ Martin, Douglas (7 July 2014). "Alan J. Dixon, 86, Is Dead; U.S. Senator Who Championed Illinois". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
- ^ How Senator Alan Dixon gave us President Barack Obama
- ^ Former U.S. Senator Alan Dixon Dies at Home[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Laureates by Year – The Lincoln Academy of Illinois". The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Retrieved 2016-03-04.