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47of74

(18,470 posts)
Sun Jul 6, 2014, 07:40 PM Jul 2014

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.
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Former Sen. Alan Dixon, 86, dies at his downstate home (Original Post) 47of74 Jul 2014 OP
R.I.P Senator Dixon. former9thward Jul 2014 #1
Got the boot after taking part in the smear of Anita Hill Doctor_J Jul 2014 #2
R.I.P., Al! ColesCountyDem Jul 2014 #3
full page story alp227 Jul 2014 #4
 

Doctor_J

(36,392 posts)
2. Got the boot after taking part in the smear of Anita Hill
Sun Jul 6, 2014, 09:04 PM
Jul 2014

An old-school politician. Believed in helping the people. RIP

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