History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/Jacob W. Dixon
[J W Dixon]
JACOB W. DIXON was born in New Castle County, Delaware, on the 25th of December, 1832. His education was acquired in the common schools and Unionville Academy, Pennsylvania, with a two years' course at the Law School at Poughkeepsie, New York, where he graduated in 1855. He came to Iowa in 1856, locating at Ottumwa, where he began the practice of his profession. In 1861 he was elected on the Republican ticket to the State Senate from Wapello County, serving in the regular and extra sessions of 1862 and the regular session of 1864. In 1866 Mr. Dixon was chosen Secretary of the Senate of the Eleventh General Assembly. In 1873 a powerful movement of the people in favor of the legislative control of railroads had resulted in the organization of an Antimonopoly party to secure the desired legislation. J. W. Dixon was elected to the House of the Fifteenth General Assembly on this ticket. The Republicans had elected fifty members of the House and the entire opposition numbered fifty, and at a conference held Mr. Dixon was selected as the candidate for Speaker upon whom all could unite. John H. Gear was the Republican candidate. For twelve days the contest was waged with great earnestness, each candidate receiving fifty votes on every ballot. Finally when every effort to organize the House had failed, Mr. Dixon consented to a compromise which ended the deadlock by the election of Mr. Gear. Mr. Dixon's last public service was as a member of the Sixteenth General Assembly. He died on the 1st of January, 1889.