US Senator. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Illinois in the US Senate for two consecutive terms from 1981 until 1993. Born Alan John Dixon, he attended local public schools and served in the US Navy during World War II. Upon his discharge at the end of the war, he attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Illinois and earned his Bachelor's Degree and later his Doctor of Law Degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He began his political career in 1949 when he was elected police magistrate of Belleville, Illinois. In 1951 he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives and served in that capacity until 1963, when he was elected to the Illinois State Senate and served until 1971. In 1970 he ran for the office of the Illinois State Treasurer and won, serving until 1977 when he was elected as the Illinois Secretary of State. In 1980 he ran as the Democratic candidate for US Senate and defeated his Republican challenger, Dave O'Neal, by an easy margin and in 1986 he was reelected by an even wider margin over the Republican challenger, Judy Koehler. In 1992 he lost his bid as the Democratic candidate when he was defeated by Carol Mosely-Braun in the Democratic Primary, who went on to win the US Senate seat in the 1992 General Election. After his term in the Senate, he chaired the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 1994 and 1995 and resumed practicing law with the Bryan Cave law firm in St. Louis, Missouri. He died of natural causes just one day shy of his 87th birthday. In 2011 Lindenwood University-Belleville named its student center in his honor. His autobiography, "The Gentleman from Illinois: Stories from Forty Years of Elective Public Service," was published in 2013.
US Senator. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Illinois in the US Senate for two consecutive terms from 1981 until 1993. Born Alan John Dixon, he attended local public schools and served in the US Navy during World War II. Upon his discharge at the end of the war, he attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, Illinois and earned his Bachelor's Degree and later his Doctor of Law Degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He began his political career in 1949 when he was elected police magistrate of Belleville, Illinois. In 1951 he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives and served in that capacity until 1963, when he was elected to the Illinois State Senate and served until 1971. In 1970 he ran for the office of the Illinois State Treasurer and won, serving until 1977 when he was elected as the Illinois Secretary of State. In 1980 he ran as the Democratic candidate for US Senate and defeated his Republican challenger, Dave O'Neal, by an easy margin and in 1986 he was reelected by an even wider margin over the Republican challenger, Judy Koehler. In 1992 he lost his bid as the Democratic candidate when he was defeated by Carol Mosely-Braun in the Democratic Primary, who went on to win the US Senate seat in the 1992 General Election. After his term in the Senate, he chaired the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 1994 and 1995 and resumed practicing law with the Bryan Cave law firm in St. Louis, Missouri. He died of natural causes just one day shy of his 87th birthday. In 2011 Lindenwood University-Belleville named its student center in his honor. His autobiography, "The Gentleman from Illinois: Stories from Forty Years of Elective Public Service," was published in 2013.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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