Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Alan Dixon of Illinois has died.
His son Jeffrey Dixon tells The Associated Press that the 86-year-old died Sunday at his home in Fairview Heights, Illinois. He had recently been hospitalized for heart problems, but his condition had improved and he had returned home.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says Dixon was known for his honesty, hard work and commitment to Illinois. He says Dixon was the first statewide Democrat to voluntarily make a full disclosure of his financial holdings and started bipartisan Illinois congressional lunches.
Dixon appeared on WSIU InFocus to discuss his book in 2013. You can find that interview here: http://watch.wsiu.org/video/2365094868/
U.S. Rep. Bill Enyart, whose 12th Congressional District includes Dixon's hometown of Belleville, calls the former Senator "one of the finest public servants our country has known."
Dixon served in the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 1993. He also had a long career in state politics, serving in the Illinois House, Illinois Senate and as the state's treasurer and secretary of state.
He lost the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat in 1992 to Carol Moseley Braun. She was the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate.
The Belleville-born man was an attorney.
His memoir titled ``The Gentleman from Illinois'' was published in 2013 by Southern Illinois University Press.
