Nathan F. Dixon II

Nathan Fellows Dixon (May 1, 1812 – April 11, 1881) was an attorney and bank president from Westerly, Rhode Island. The son of Nathan F. Dixon and father of Nathan F. Dixon III, he was best known for his service as a United States representative from Rhode Island from 1849 to 1851, and again from 1863 to 1871.

Nathan F. Dixon II
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Rhode Island's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1871
Preceded byGeorge H. Browne
Succeeded byJames M. Pendleton
In office
March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851
Preceded byBenjamin Babock Thurston
Succeeded byBenjamin Babock Thurston
Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Commerce
In office
1869–1871
Preceded byThomas D. Eliot
Succeeded bySamuel Shellabarger
Member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
In office
1841–1849
1851–1854
1858–1862
1871–1877
Personal details
Born(1812-05-01)May 1, 1812
Westerly, Rhode Island
DiedApril 11, 1881(1881-04-11) (aged 68)
Westerly, Rhode Island
Resting placeRiver Bend Cemetery
Westerly, Rhode Island
NationalityAmerican
Political partyWhig
Republican
SpouseHarriet Palmer Swan (m. 1843-1881, his death)
RelationsNathan F. Dixon I (father)
Children6, including Nathan F. Dixon III
Alma materBrown University
OccupationAttorney
Banker

Biography

He was born in Westerly, Rhode Island on May 1, 1812, the son of Nathan F. Dixon and Elizabeth (Palmer) Dixon).[1] He attended Plainfield Academy in Plainfield, Connecticut, and graduated from Brown University in 1833.[2] He later pursued the study of law at Harvard Law School and Yale Law School.[2] Dixon was admitted to the bar in 1837 and commenced practice in Westerly.[2] He was a member of the board of directors of Westerly's Washington Bank, and succeeded his father as president when the senior Dixon died in 1842.[1] He served as president of the bank until his death.[1]

He was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1841 to 1849 and 1851 to 1854.[2] He was appointed a member of the Rhode Island Governor's council in 1842, one of a committee of legislators who advised Whig Governor Samuel Ward King as the state coped with an anti-government uprising by Democrats known as the Dorr Rebellion.[3] In 1844, Dixon was a presidential elector from Rhode Island; the Whigs lost the national election but carried the state, and he cast his ballot for the Whig ticket of Henry Clay and Theodore Frelinghuysen.[2]

He was elected as a Whig to the 31st Congress (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851).[2] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1850.[4] From 1858 to 1862 he served again in the Rhode Island House.[4] Dixon was elected as a Republican to the 38th Congress. He was reelected three times, and served from March 4, 1863 to March 3, 1871.[2] In his final term, Dixon was chairman on the Committee on Commerce.[4] He was elected delegate to the 1866 National Union Convention in Philadelphia.[2] He declined to be a candidate for reelection to Congress in 1870.[5]

He served in the Rhode Island House again from 1871 to 1877.[4] In January 1875 he was a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator, but withdrew when the party's caucus in the state legislature deadlocked, which enabled the election of Ambrose E. Burnside.[6] In March, he was a contender for the Republican nomination for governor, but withdrew in favor of Henry Lippitt.[7][8] When none of the candidates received a majority in the general election, as required by the state constitution,[9] Lippitt was elected governor by a vote of the state legislature.[10]

Death and burial

Dixon died in Westerly on April 11, 1881.[2] He was buried at River Bend Cemetery in Westerly.[11]

Family

In 1843, Dixon married Harriet Palmer Swan (1816–1896) of Stonington, Connecticut.[12] They were the parents of six children: Nathan (b. 1845, died young); Nathan Fellows (1847–1897); Edward Hazard (1849–1891); Phebe Ann (1852–1941), the wife of James Gore King McClure; Walter P. (1855–1913); and Harriet Swan (1859–1899).[1]

References
  1. Brown, Cyrus H. (1915). Brown Genealogy. Vol. II. Boston, MA: The Everett Press. pp. 341–342 – via HathiTrust.
  2. "Death Notice, Nathan F. Dixon". The Boston Post. Boston, MA. April 13, 1881. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Mowry, Arthur May (1901). The Dorr War; Or, The Constitutional Struggle in Rhode Island. Providence, RI: Preston & Rounds. p. 148.
  4. Capace, Nancy (2001). Encyclopedia of Rhode Island. St. Clair Shores, MI: Somerset Publishers. pp. 290–291. ISBN 978-0-403-09610-7.
  5. "Political: Nathan F. Dixon". The Commercial. Leavenworth, KS. September 23, 1870. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Election of Gen. Burnside". New-York Tribune. New York, NY. January 27, 1875. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Ex-Congressman Nathan F. Dixon is a prominent candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor of Rhode Island". Pittsburgh Daily Gazette. Pittsburgh, PA. March 15, 1875. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "The Rhode Island Republican State Convention this morning nominated Henry Lippitt for Governor". Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg, PA. March 26, 1875. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Rhode Island -- No Election for Governor". Rutland Daily Globe. Rutland, VT. April 8, 1875. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Rhode Island: The General Assembly met on Tuesday and chose Gen. Henry Lippitt governor". Vermont Farmer. Newport, VT. May 28, 1875. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Spencer, Thomas E. (1998). Where They're Buried. Baltimore, MD: Clearfield Company. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-8063-4823-0.
  12. Wheeler, Richard Anson (1900). History of the Town of Stonington, County of New London, Connecticut. New London, CT: Day Publishing Company. p. 616.
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