For the Governor of New York who served in the 1870s, see John Adams Dix.
John Alden Dix (December 25, 1860 – April 9, 1928) was an American businessman and politician who served as 38th governor of New York from January 1911 to January 1913.[1]
Quick Facts 38th Governor of New York, Lieutenant ...
A native of Glens Falls, New York, Dix attended Cornell University before becoming active in several Dix family business ventures. He later expanded into the lumber and paper industries, where his success made him wealthy.
In 1910, Dix was the successful Democratic nominee for governor, and he served one two-year term, January 1911 to December 1912. His term was largely concerned with issues of workplace safety in the wake of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. In 1912, Dix ran for reelection, but lost the Democratic nomination to William Sulzer.
After leaving the governorship, Dix returned to management of his business interests. In retirement he became a resident of Santa Barbara, California. He died in New York City in 1928, and was buried in Albany, New York.
Life
Born in Glens Falls, New York, he was the son of James Lawton Dix (1816–1888) and his wife, Laura (née Stevens) Dix (1827–1893).[2] His maternal great-grandparents, Ozias (1750–1835) and Lucy Hatch Dix (1752–1831), were first cousins. His second cousin, twice removed is Daniel H. Wells.
Dix graduated from Glens Falls Academy and attended Cornell University from 1879 to 1882.[3] He was an initiated member of the Beta Charge of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity.
After college, Dix was employed in the Dix family businesses, including a quarry and a machine shop. He then began a career as the owner of several businesses in the lumber and paper making industry, the success of which made him wealthy.
He married Gertrude Alden Thomson, the daughter of Albany lumber merchant Lemon Thomson, who was Dix's business partner. Gertrude's sister, Nancy Sherman Thomson (1867–1927), was married to State Senator Curtis N. Douglas (1856–1919).[4]
Dix ran for governor again in 1910; he won the Democratic nomination, and won the November general election. During his term, Dix established a New York State Factory Commission to investigate factory conditions, a reaction to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire; as a result of the commission's work, 32 worker safety laws were enacted by the legislature and approved by Dix. After a fire destroyed a large portion of the state capitol building, Dix successfully advocated state legislation that improved fire safety regulations and building codes.
Other Dix accomplishments in office included creation of the state Conservation Commission, the law authorizing direct primary elections, and a law limiting work weeks to 54 hours. In 1912 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. He also ran for reelection in 1912, but lost the Democratic nomination to William Sulzer.
Death and burial
After leaving office Dix retired to Santa Barbara, California. He was also active in civic endeavors including service on the Cornell University board of trustees. In 1912, he received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Hamilton College.
Mrs. Dix died in Santa Barbara in 1923; the couple had no children.
John Alden Dix had the same first and last name as Union General and Governor of New York John Adams Dix, and was often referred to in the press as a nephew or a first cousin once removed of John Adams Dix. In fact, John Alden Dix had no known family relationship with John Adams Dix.[5]
Trivia
Governor Dix planned to sail to Europe with his wife on April 20, 1912, aboard the RMS Titanic. For obvious reasons this journey was canceled.[6]
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article John_Alden_Dix, and is written by contributors.
Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.