Alan John Dixon, a Democrat, served as a U.S. Senator from Illinois from 1981 to 1993. Born in Belleville, Illinois on July 7, 1927, he attended Illinois public schools and later earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his JD from Washington University. During World War II, Dixon served in the United States Navy. Dixon served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1951-1963 and as a member of the Illinois State Senate from 1963-1971, serving as minority whip for part of that time. In 1970 he was elected Illinois Treasurer, an office he kept until 1977. In 1976 he was elected Illinois Secretary of State and served in that position until 1981 when he took office as a United States Senator from Illinois. In 1992 he lost in the Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate to Carol Moseley-Braun. Dixon now is an attorney in St. Louis, Missouri.