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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Illinois General Assembly takes pride in
3recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of State
4officials and citizens; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In recognition of the lasting legacy and many
6sacrifices that Alan J. Dixon made for the citizenry of the
7State, the General Assembly wishes to bestow upon him the rare
8distinction of naming a public building in his honor; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon spent his life serving the people of
10the State and was known for his work ethic and ability to
11foster cooperation and compromise across party lines; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon was born in Belleville on July 7,
131927; he graduated from Belleville Township High School, earned
14his bachelor's degree in 1949 from the University of Illinois
15at Urbana-Champaign, and earned his Juris Doctor from
16Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri; he
17served in the United States Navy Air Corps during World War II
18and began his 43-year political career in law school when he
19was elected to serve as Belleville Police Magistrate; and
 
20    WHEREAS, At the age of 22, Alan J. Dixon was elected one of
21the youngest legislators ever to serve in the Illinois House of

 

 

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1Representatives, and served as a State Representative from 1951
2to 1963; he was an advocate for higher education and
3co-sponsored legislation that produced Illinois's community
4college system; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon served in the Illinois State Senate
6from 1963 to 1971, rising to Assistant Democratic Leader; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon was elected to serve as Illinois
8Treasurer from 1971 to 1977; from 1977 to 1981, he served as
9Illinois Secretary of State, an office he won by a margin of
101,300,000 votes; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In 1980, Alan J. Dixon won his first election to
12the United States Senate by more than 600,000 votes; he won his
13re-election to the United States Senate in 1986 by more than
14950,000 votes; he served until 1993; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In 1988, and again in 1990, Alan J. Dixon was
16unanimously selected by his party colleagues to serve as the
17Chief Deputy Whip of the United States Senate, the number 3
18leadership post; he enjoyed an unbroken string of 29 election
19victories; and
 
20    WHEREAS, At the request of President Bill Clinton, Alan J.
21Dixon served as Chairman of the Defense Base Closure and

 

 

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1Realignment Commission in 1994 and 1995, a job that called for
2both national defense knowledge and good political ties with
3both Democrats and Republicans; as former Chairman of the
4Senate Armed Services Subcommittee he was mutually respected by
5both parties; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon was a partner with the St. Louis,
7Missouri based law firm, Bryan Cave, LLP, where he served
8corporate and government clients; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Lindenwood University-Belleville, formerly the
10Belleville Township High School, named its student center after
11Alan J. Dixon in 2011 in his honor and thanked him for his
12achievements and efforts on behalf of his hometown of
13Belleville; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon's memoir, "The Gentleman from
15Illinois: Stories from Forty Years of Elective Public Service",
16was published in 2013 by Southern Illinois University Press;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, Alan J. Dixon died in his home on July 6, 2014,
19one day shy of his 87th birthday; he is survived by his spouse
20of 60 years, Joan "Jody" Fox Dixon; 3 children, Stephanie,
21Jeffrey, and Elizabeth; 8 grandchildren; and 7
22great-grandchildren; therefore, be it
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
3SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the State of
4Illinois building that houses the Illinois State Museum at 502
5South Spring Street in Springfield as the "Alan J. Dixon
6Building"; and be it further
 
7    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
8presented to Alan J. Dixon's surviving spouse, Joan "Jody" Fox
9Dixon and to the Department of Natural Resources.