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 The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

from 1849 to 1851, and again from 1863 to 1871.

Biography

He was born in Westerly, Rhode Island on May 1, 1812, the son of Nathan F. Dixon and Elizabeth (Palmer) Dixon). He attended Plainfield Academy in Plainfield, Connecticut, and graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in 1833. He later pursued the study of law at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

and

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

. Dixon was admitted to the bar in 1837 and commenced practice in Westerly. 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. He served as president of the bank until his death. He was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1841 to 1849 and 1851 to 1854. 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. 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 Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

and

Theodore Frelinghuysen Theodore Frelinghuysen (March 28, 1787April 12, 1862) was an American politician who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate. He was the Whig vice presidential nominee in the election of 1844, running on a ticket with Henry Clay. Bo ...

. He was elected as a Whig to the 31st Congress (March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1850. From 1858 to 1862 he served again in the Rhode Island House. Dixon was elected as a Republican to the

38th Congress The 38th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1863, ...

. He was reelected three times, and served from March 4, 1863 to March 3, 1871. In his final term, Dixon was chairman on the Committee on Commerce. He was elected delegate to the

1866 National Union Convention The National Union Convention (also known as the Loyalist Convention, the Southern Loyalist Convention, the National Loyalists' Loyal Union Convention, or the Arm-In-Arm Convention) was held on August 14, 15, and 16 1866, in Philadelphia, Pennsylva ...

in Philadelphia. He declined to be a candidate for reelection to Congress in 1870. He served in the Rhode Island House again from 1871 to 1877. 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 Ambrose Everett Burnside (May 23, 1824 – September 13, 1881) was an American army officer and politician who became a senior Union general in the Civil War and three times Governor of Rhode Island, as well as being a successful inventor ...

. In March, he was a contender for the Republican nomination for governor, but withdrew in favor of Henry Lippitt. When none of the candidates received a majority in the general election, as required by the state constitution, Lippitt was elected governor by a vote of the state legislature.

Death and burial

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

Family

In 1843, Dixon married Harriet Palmer Swan (1816–1896) of

Stonington, Connecticut The town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington (borough), Connecticut, Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Pawcatuck, Lords Point, and W ...

. 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).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Nathan F. (1812-1881) 1812 births 1881 deaths Members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives People from Westerly, Rhode Island Brown University alumni Dixon family Rhode Island Whigs Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island 19th-century American politicians