The Gentleman from Illinois: Stories from Forty Years of Elective Public Service

Gallery of Illustrations

Eight-year-old Alan Dixon (left) and his brother, Don, three years younger than Alan. They are the sons of Elsa and William “Bill” Dixon. Dixon as a naval air cadet in 1945. He graduated from high school early so he could enter the program. Alan as a teenager in Belleville, Illinois, his Norman Rockwell–like hometown. William Dixon, Alan’s father, in his uniform as a Freemason . He was proud to be a member of the international fraternal and charitable organization. The flyer for Dixon’s campaign as the Better Belleville Party candidate for municipal police magistrate in 1949. Dixon, twenty-two years old and a student at the Washington University School of Law, was victorious in the election. Joan Louise “Jody” Fox and Dixon on their wedding day, January 17, 1954, in Barry, Missouri. State representative Dixon (second from left) helping to plot strategy for the election of fellow Democrat Paul Powell (far right) as speaker of the Illinois house in 1961, an unusual triumph in that Republicans had a majority in the body. Other Democrats helping Powell were state representatives Leo Pfeffer of Seymour (far left) and Clyde Choate of Anna. Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago, the legendary Democratic political boss with whom Dixon dealt on being slated for statewide offices and on major issues in the Illinois General Assembly. The family of Joan and Alan Dixon in 1970, the year he was elected treasurer of Illinois. Pictured (left to right) are Stephanie, Alan, Joan, and Jeffrey. Elizabeth is in front with the family dog, Mitzi. No one was closer to Dixon than Gene Callahan (left), a onetime newspaper columnist, who was Alan’s top aide during his years in state offices and in the U.S. Senate. Dixon as Illinois secretary of state. A fiery orator, he often electrified political crowds. Democratic Congressman Daniel Rostenkowski of Chicago. The powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee worked closely with U.S. Senator Dixon on many issues important to Illinois. Congressman Henry Hyde of Bensenville. Dixon’s willingness to work with Republicans on numerous issues was evident in his productive relationship with Hyde, a key GOP member of the Illinois delegation in the House. U.S. Senator Paul Simon and Dixon walking together into the Senate for a vote in the middle 1980s. Democrat Simon was a strong ally and close personal friend during Dixon’s political career in Illinois and Washington. Veteran Congressman Melvin Price of East Saint Louis (far left) with Senator Dixon and Paul Simon, then a congressman from southern Illinois. Together, they helped ensure downstate Illinois had vibrant representation in Washington. Dixon in military wear as he personally checks out the operational efficiency of a controversial anti-aircraft tank dubbed Sergeant York at Fort Bliss, Texas, in 1985. Soon afterward, Dixon had a major hand in the Senate Armed Services Committee ’s decision to kill authorization for the weapon. Dixon meeting privately with President Ronald Reagan, a Republican. As Dixon gained influence as an emerging Democratic leader in the Senate, he found himself more than once in the White House. Dixon with President George H. W. Bush, another Republican who did not hesitate to confer with Dixon on matters requiring bipartisanship. A November 16, 1992, letter to Alan from Senator Sam Nunn, a Georgia Democrat, praising Dixon for his service in the Senate. Earlier in the year, Dixon was defeated in his bid for renomination for a third term in the Senate. Alan and Joan about the time of their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 2004. ...