Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/280

 DIX

DIX

devoted in peri)etuity to clmritable objects. She published: Conversations on Common Things {IS24, 60th ed., 1869); Jlijmns for Children, Selected and Altered (1825); Evening Hours (1825): Ten Short Stories for Children (1S27-2S) ; Meditations for Pri- vate Hours {IS2S) ; The Garland of Flora (1820): The Pearl, or 4fection's Gin (1829) ; and Prisoners in the United States (1845). See Life of Dorothea Liindr Dix by Fninois Tiffany (1890). She died at Tn-nton. "x..!.. July 17. 1887.

DIX, John Adams, soldier ana statesman, was born in Boscawen, N.H., July 24, 1798; son of Lieut.-Col. Timothy and Abigail (Wilkins) Dix, grandson of Lieut. Timothy Dix of the American army, 1776-84, and postmaster of Boscawen, 1801-09: great-grandson of Jonathan and Sarah (Shattuck) Dix of Littleton, Mass. ; and H descendant of An- thony Dix. Plymouth,
 * \Lass., 1623, free-

holder, 1631, and free- holder of Salem, Mass., 1632. Col. Tim- othy Dix was a se- lectman of Boscawen, a representative in the state legislature, a prominent mer- ciiant in the place, an early promoter of ed- ucation, and lieuten- ant-colonel in the U.S. army, and died while in active service at French Mills, Canada East, Xov. 14, 1813. His wife, Abigail Wilkins of Amherst, Mass., was the daughter of a captain in the provincial service, who lost his life on the expedition under General Montgomerj- against Quebec. John Adams Dix acquired his elemen- tary education at the academy at Salisbury, X.H.. and at Phillips Exeter academy. Here he was prepared for admission to the College of Montreal, where he continued the study of Latin and Greek and sfjoke oidy the French language. The war of 1812 determined the boj' of fourteen to join the army as cadet in his father's regiment, the 14th U.S. infantrj', stationed at Baltimore, Md., where he also attended St. Mary's college. He was promoted ensign, March 8, 1813, nuarch- ing with his regiment to Sacket Harbor and serving on the Canada frontier. He was pro- moted 2d lieutenant and made adjutant in a battalion of the 21st infantry in 1814, was ordered to Port.smouth. N.H., and appointed ad- jutant to Colonel Walbach in command of Fort Constitution. In 1818 he was assigned to the command of Fort Washington on the Potomac opposite Mount Vernon. In January. 1819. he was made regimentn] quartermaster at Fort

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Columbus, New York harbor, and in March, 1819, an aide-de-camp to Gen. Jacob Brown in com- mand of the northern military department of the United States, stationed at Brownville, N.Y., where he took up the study of law. In the winters the commanding general was in Wasli- ington and here young Dix continued his study of law under William Wirt, and was admitted to the bar, but did not practice at the national capital. In May, 1826, he was appointed by Presi- dent J. Q. Adams, special messenger to Copen- hagen with dispatches from the state department. Upon his return he was ordered to Fort Monroe and spent the winter there, and on July 29, 1828, he resigned his commission as captain in the 3d regiment of artillery, U.S. army, and in order to regain liis health settled in Cooperstown, X.Y., where he took up the practice of law. In 1830 he removed to Albanj', N. Y., having been appointed adjutant-general of the state by Governor Throop. He was appointed secretarj^ of state and state superintendent of common schools in place of Azariah C. Flagg. promoted to the comptroller- ship, and he held the office, 1833-39. He was an active member of the " Albany Regency," a Democratic state organization led b}- Silas Wright. Edwin Croswell, Peter Cagger, Dean Richmond and others. The defeat of the party in 1840 terminated his official life for the time and he engaged as editor-in-chief of The Northern Light, 1841-43. He was elected to the state assembly in 1841 and spent 1843-44 in Madeira, Spain and Ital3^ In 1845 the Democratic legisla- ture of New York elected him U.S. senator for the unexpired term of Senator Silas Wright, wlio liad been elected governor of New York. Upon the resignation of Senator Wright, Governor Bouck. on Dec. 1, 1844, had appointed Henry Allen Foster to fill the vacanc}-, and in January, 1845, Dix took the seat, completing the term March 3, 1849. In the U.S. senate he advocated holding the territorj' of Mexico until the govern- ment of that country would make a satisfactory treaty of peace and fix an acceptable boundaiy. and was chairman of the committee on science. In 1848 he became the Free -soil Democratic can- didate for governor of New York and was de- feated in the election by Hamilton Fish. He was the first choice of President Pierce for .secre- tary of state, but political pressure prevented the nomination and he was made assistant treasurer of the United States at New York in 1853, with the understanding that he should be appointed U.S. minister to France. This promise was not, however, carried out by the President and Mr. Dix resigned the treasurership and visited Europe with his family. He supported Buchanan and Breckenridge in the presidential campaign of 1856 and Breckenridge and Lane in 1860. Presi