Generals who rose from the ranks of the 14th Infantry

Major General John Adams Dix Years of Service: 1845-1849 Party: Democrat

Dix, John Adams, (son-in-law of John Jordan Morgan), a Senator from New York; born in Boscawen, N.H., July 24, 1798; completed preparatory studies;

During the War of 1812 was appointed a cadet, promoted to ensign, and took part in the operations on the Canadian frontier; served in the United States Army until 1828, having attained the rank of captain;

Studied law and was admitted to the bar in Washington, D.C.; settled in Cooperstown, N.Y., and began the practice of law; moved to Albany in 1830, having been appointed adjutant general of the State and served from 1831 to 1833; 

Canal Commissioner;

Member, State assembly 1842;

Elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Silas Wright, Jr., and served from January 27, 1845, to March 3, 1849; was not a candidate for reelection, having become a candidate for Governor;

Chairman, Committee on Pensions (Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Congresses), Committee on Commerce (Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth Congresses); 

Unsuccessful Free-Soil candidate for Governor in 1848;

Assistant Treasurer of the United States at New York 1853; 

Appointed postmaster of the city of New York 1860-1861; 

Appointed Secretary of the Treasury by President James Buchanan 1861;

Served in the Union Army as major general 1861-1865; 

United States Minister to France 1866-1869; 

Governor of New York 1873-1875; 

Unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 and for election as mayor of New York City in 1876;

Died in New York City April 21, 1879; interment in Trinity Cemetery.



Fort Dix, New Jersey is named for Major General John Adams Dix, a veteran of the War of 1812 and the Civil War.


Bibliography:  Dictionary of American Biography; Dix, John Adams. Memoirs of John Adams Dix. Edited by Morgan Dix. 2 vols. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1883; Lichterman, Martin. ‘John Adams Dix, 1798-1879.’ Ph.D. dissertation, Columbia University, 1952.


Source:  Fort Dix History

It is interesting to note, that his father, Timothy Dix, was made the lieutenant-colonel of the 14th Infantry in 1813, and that his son, Chas. T. Dix, was commissioned as a lieutenant of the new 14th in the War of the Rebellion. (Source: Col. Anderson's History of the 14th Infantry Regiment.)

Thanks to Terry Bender, 1/14th Inf, for collecting and making this information available and for his dedicated efforts to preserve the history of the 14th Infantry Regiment.

Photo courtesy of the National Archives. 


Acknowledgements:
Generals who rose from the ranks of the 14th Infantry:  Major General John Adams Dix
Copyright © 2013  14th Infantry Regiment Association
Last modified: July 25, 2024