Nathan Fellows Dixon III (August 28, 1847 – November 8, 1897) was a United States representative and Senator from Rhode Island.
Early life
Dixon was born in Westerly, Rhode Island on August 28, 1847.[1] He attended the local schools and Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.[1] Dixon graduated from Brown University with a AB degree in 1869, studied law with his father, then completed his legal studies at Albany Law School (Albany, New York) in 1871.[1][2] While at Brown, Dixon became a member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity.[2]
Legal and business career
Dixon was admitted to the bar in 1871, commenced practice in Westerly, and grew his legal business to include Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.[1] As a partner in the firm of Dixon & Perrin, Dixon became a noted corporate attorney and his clients included the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad.[2] From 1877 to 1885 he was United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island.[1]
Dixon was also active in several businesses, including serving as president of the Dixon Granite Works and the Washington National Bank of Westerly.[2] In addition, he served on the board of directors of several corporations, including the Pawcatuck Valley Railway and Providence & Stonington Steamship Company.[2] Dixon also participated in Freemasonry, and was a member of the lodge in Westerly, as well Stonington's Palmer Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons and Westerly's commandery of the Knights Templar.[2]
Political career
Dixon was elected as a Republican to the Forty-eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jonathan Chace and served from February 12 to March 3, 1885; he was not a candidate for re-nomination.[1] Dixon was a member of the Rhode Island Senate from 1886 to 1889.[1] He was elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jonathan Chace and served from April 10, 1889, to March 3, 1895; he was not a candidate for reelection.[1] While in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Patents (52nd Congress).[3]
Death and burial
After leaving the Senate, Dixon resumed the practice of law and his business and banking interests, and maintained a farm on which he bred cattle as a hobby.[2] In addition, he was a member of the state Board of Charities and Corrections, and a member of the commission created to revise the state constitution.[2]
Dixon died in Westerly on November 8, 1897.[1] He was buried at River Bend Cemetery in Westerly.[1]
Family
Nathan Fellows Dixon III was the son of Representative Nathan F. Dixon II and Harriet Palmer Swan Dixon.[1] He was a grandson of Senator Nathan F. Dixon I.[1] In 1873, he married Grace McClure of Albany, New York.They remained married until his death and had no children.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Brown, Cyrus Henry (1915). Brown Genealogy. Vol. Part II: Browne Genealogy. Boston, MA: The Everett Press. pp. 340–342 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island. Vol. I. Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co. 1908. pp. 186–188 – via Google Books.
- ^ Joint Committee on Printing, U.S. Congress (2005). Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 966. ISBN 978-0-1607-3176-1 – via Google Books.
External links
- United States Congress. "Nathan F. Dixon III (id: D000377)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
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