Joseph K. Dixon

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Joseph K. Dixon
Rev. Joseph K. Dixon.png
Born
Joseph Kossuth Dixon

1856
Hemlock Lake, New York,[1] or Germantown, Pennsylvania,[2]
DiedAugust 24, 1926
Melrose Park, New York
Spouse(s)Edith Reid (second wife)
Parent(s)Adam Dixon and Lightfoot Dixon

Joseph Kossuth Dixon[3] (1856–1926) was an American clergyman, lecturer and photographer who led the Wanamaker expeditions exploring indigenous peoples of the United States.

Biography[]

Dixon was born in Hemlock Lake, New York,[1] or Germantown, Pennsylvania,[2] in 1856, to Adam Dixon, a brigadier general, and Lightfoot Dixon. He attended the Leavenworth Normal School in Kansas and graduated from Rochester Theological Seminary in 1883 with a Bachelor of Divinity. From 1883 to 1889 he was pastor of the First Baptist church in Auburn, New York. He moved to Epiphany Baptist Church in Philadelphia, leaving that post in 1895.[4] That year Dixon was an interim pastor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota's First Baptist church.[5] He ceased ministry later that year and worked for some religious publications before finding work giving lectures for Eastman Kodak from 1904 to 1906.[4] Dixon received a degree from William Jewell College in 1897, and honorary Doctor of Divinity and Doctor of Law degrees from Bucknell University and Temple University, respectively.[1]

After 1906 he was employed by Wanamaker's, giving educational lectures. Dixon fashioned himself as an expert on Native Americans, and convinced Rodman Wanamaker to fund the Wanamaker expeditions, three trips from 1908 to 1913 that visited Native American tribes, including a 1913 "Expedition of Citizenship".[4][6] In 1909 Dixon attended a dinner where he talked to prominent Americans such as Buffalo Bill, Nelson A. Miles, and Leonard Wood and they discussed constructing a National American Indian Memorial. Dixon worked to create such a monument.[7]

In 1915 Dixon exhibited his photographs from the expeditions at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition, where he won a gold medal. He spent months lecturing to a total of around a million people. With the American entry into World War I he advocated for Native Americans to enlist and after it ended in 1918 fought for Native veterans to become citizens.[8]

Personal life[]

Dixon had one child, Rollin Lester, with his first wife. When his wife died in 1925, Dixon remarried Edith Reid, who was his secretary. Dixon died the following year[9][3] on August 24, 1926 at his home at 1111 Stratford Park in Melrose Park, New York. Funeral services were held on the evening of August 26 and, again, on Saturday, August 28 at the First Baptist Church in Auburn, New York. He was buried at the Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn.[10][11]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Lindstrom 1996, p. 210.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Barsh 1993, p. 92.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "MISS EDITH REID WEDS DR. JOSEPH K. DIXON; Many Prominent New Yorkers Among Guests at Nuptials in Philadelphia". The New York Times. August 27, 1925. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Lindstrom 1996, pp. 210–211.
  5. ^ "Obituary for Joseph K. Dixon". Argus-Leader. August 26, 1926. p. 12. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  6. ^ Barsh 1993, p. 108.
  7. ^ Barsh 1993, pp. 94–96.
  8. ^ Barsh 1993, pp. 108–110.
  9. ^ Barsh 1993, pp. 92–93.
  10. ^ "Dr. Joseph K. Dixon, Noted Author Dies." Hanover, Pennsylvania: The Evening Sun, p. 5.
  11. ^ "Dr. J.K. Dixon Dies: Clergyman, Educator, Author and Explorer Succumbs at Melrose Park Home." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 26, 1926, p. 3.

Bibliography[]

External links[]

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