| Nathan Fellows Dixon III | |
| Jr/Sr1: | United States Senator |
| State1: | Rhode Island |
| Term Start1: | April 10, 1889 |
| Term End1: | March 3, 1895 |
| Predecessor1: | Jonathan Chace |
| Successor1: | George P. Wetmore |
| State2: | Rhode Island |
| District2: | 2nd |
| Term Start2: | February 12, 1885 |
| Term End2: | March 3, 1885 |
| Predecessor2: | Jonathan Chace |
| Successor2: | William Almy Pirce |
| Office3: | Member of the Rhode Island Senate from Westerly |
| Term Start3: | 1886 |
| Term End3: | 1889 |
| Predecessor3: | Albert L. Chester |
| Successor3: | George H. Utter |
| Office4: | United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island |
| Term Start4: | March 1, 1877 |
| Term End4: | March 22, 1885 |
| Predecessor4: | John A. Gardner |
| Successor4: | David S. Baker Jr. |
| Birth Date: | 28 August 1847 |
| Birth Place: | Westerly, Rhode Island, US |
| Death Place: | Westerly, Rhode Island, US |
| Resting Place: | River Bend Cemetery, Westerly, Rhode Island, US |
| Spouse: | Grace McClure (m. 1873) |
| Party: | Republican |
| Education: | Brown University Albany Law School |
| Profession: | Attorney |
| Signature: | Signature of Nathan Fellows Dixon III (1847–1897).png |
Nathan Fellows Dixon III (August 28, 1847November 8, 1897) was a United States representative and Senator from Rhode Island.
Dixon was born in Westerly, Rhode Island on August 28, 1847.[1] He attended the local schools and Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.[1] Dixon graduated from Brown University with a AB degree in 1869, studied law with his father, then completed his legal studies at Albany Law School (Albany, New York) in 1871.[1] [2] While at Brown, Dixon became a member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity.[2]
Dixon was admitted to the bar in 1871, commenced practice in Westerly, and grew his legal business to include Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.[1] As a partner in the firm of Dixon & Perrin, Dixon became a noted corporate attorney and his clients included the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad.[2] From 1877 to 1885 he was United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island.[1]
Dixon was also active in several businesses, including serving as president of the Dixon Granite Works and the Washington National Bank of Westerly.[2] In addition, he served on the board of directors of several corporations, including the Pawcatuck Valley Railway and Providence & Stonington Steamship Company.[2] Dixon also participated in Freemasonry, and was a member of the lodge in Westerly, as well Stonington's Palmer Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons and Westerly's commandery of the Knights Templar.[2]
Dixon was elected as a Republican to the Forty-eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jonathan Chace and served from February 12 to March 3, 1885; he was not a candidate for re-nomination.[1] Dixon was a member of the Rhode Island Senate from 1886 to 1889.[1] He was elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Jonathan Chace and served from April 10, 1889, to March 3, 1895; he was not a candidate for reelection.[1] While in the Senate he was chairman of the Committee on Patents (52nd Congress).[3]
After leaving the Senate, Dixon resumed the practice of law and his business and banking interests, and maintained a farm on which he bred cattle as a hobby.[2] In addition, he was a member of the state Board of Charities and Corrections, and a member of the commission created to revise the state constitution.[2]
Dixon died in Westerly on November 8, 1897.[1] He was buried at River Bend Cemetery in Westerly.[1]
Nathan Fellows Dixon III was the son of Representative Nathan F. Dixon II and Harriet Palmer Swan Dixon.[1] He was a grandson of Senator Nathan F. Dixon I.[1] In 1873, he married Grace McClure of Albany, New York. They remained married until his death and had no children.[1]