Former Sen. Alan Dixon, 86, dies at his downstate home
Source: Chicago Tribune
During much his two terms as a U.S. senator, in the 1980s and early 1990s, Alan Dixon was the locally minded counterpart to then-Sen. Paul Simon, always angling for the best deals for Illinois.
He was known as Al the Pal for his accommodating style, a reputation built over a decades-long political career that began when he ran for police magistrate in Belleville at age 21 and continued even after his departure from the Senate in 1993.
The former senator died Sunday morning at his home in downstate Fairview Heights, just one day shy of his 87th birthday, according to his son, Jeff Dixon. The cause was believed to be related to heart troubles, his son said.
Dixon, a Democrat, also served in the Illinois House of Representatives and the State Senate, as well as state treasurer and secretary of state before he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980. His career there came to a shocking halt in 1993 after he was defeated in a three-way Democratic primary by Carol Moseley Braun.
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-former-sen-alan-dixon-dies-at-age-86-20140706,0,5032015.story
RIP Senator.
former9thward
(31,805 posts)A decent man and a refreshing counter-point to the Chicago machine.
Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)An old-school politician. Believed in helping the people. RIP