Funeral set for ex-US Sen. Alan Dixon of Illinois

BELLEVILLE — Hundreds of people gathered at a visitation in southern Illinois to remember former U.S. Sen. Alan Dixon.

Dixon died on July 6 at his home in Fairview Heights. He was 86. His visitation was Sunday evening in Belleville and his funeral is scheduled for Monday at Lindenwood University. A private burial for family and close friends will follow at Lakeview Memorial Gardens in Fairview Heights.

The Belleville News-Democrat reports that U.S. Reps. Bill Enyart and John Shimkus attended the wake. Former East St. Louis Mayor Gordon Bush said Dixon was “always a gentleman.”

The Democrat's career in politics spanned more than 40 years. He was in the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 1993, serving as the third-ranking Democrat. He also chaired a subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee.