Arrington Dixon | |
---|---|
2nd Chair of the Council of the District of Columbia | |
In office 1979–1983 | |
Preceded by | Sterling Tucker |
Succeeded by | David A. Clarke |
Member of the
Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 4 | |
In office 1975–1979 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Charlene Drew Jarvis |
Member of the
Council of the District of Columbia from the at-large district | |
In office August 1997 – December 15, 1997 | |
Preceded by | Linda Cropp |
Succeeded by | David Catania |
Personal details | |
Born | Arrington Dixon Washington, D.C. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Howard University, George Washington Law School [1] |
Occupation | Politician |
Arrington Dixon is an American politician who is a former Chair and Member of the Council of the District of Columbia of Washington, D.C.
Dixon was born in Anacostia in Washington, D.C., to James and Sally Dixon. [2]
In November 1974, Dixon was chosen to represent Ward 4 when voters elected the first members of the Council of the District of Columbia, the legislature of the city's new home rule government. [3] The initial term for the Ward 4 seat, like those for half the council seats, was only 2 years, to provide for staggered council elections in later years, [4] but in 1976 Dixon was reelected to a full four-year term. [3]
In 1978, council chairman Sterling Tucker ran for mayor rather than seeking reelection. [5] Dixon, who was halfway through his Ward 4 term, decided to run for Chair of the Council and won. He served 4 years. In 1982, Dixon ran for re-election, but he was defeated in the Democratic primary by David A. Clarke. [5]
Dixon was later appointed by Mayor Marion Barry to serve as a public member of the National Capital Planning Commission.
More than a decade later, Dixon returned to the council as an at-large member for a few months in 1997 when he was chosen in August by the District of Columbia Democratic State Committee to replace Linda Cropp, who had vacated her at-large seat to become chairman. [6] The appointment lasted only until a December special election, in which he was defeated by then- Republican David Catania. [7] Catania was sworn in on December 15, 1997. [8]
In 1966, he married Sharon Pratt Kelly, and they had daughters Aimee and Drew. His daughters were born in 1968 and 1970. [9] [10] The couple divorced in 1982 after sixteen years of marriage. [9]