Luther Swift Dixon was born on June 17, 1825 at Underhill, Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. He was a descendant of Archibald Dickson of Irvine, Argyleshire, Scotland, who came to Boston in 1719. His father, Colonel Luther Dixon, was a Vermont farmer who had commanded a regiment on the northern frontier during the War of 1812. The younger Luther’s boyhood was spent on the farm.
Luther’s early education was obtained at the common schools. He then attended the military academy at Norwich, Vermont, for two years, becoming an excellent Latin scholar. Designing to become a lawyer, he taught school for a time in order to defray expenses, studying law at intervals, and was admitted to the Vermont bar in 1850. In the same year he proceeded West, settled in Portage, Columbia County, Wisconsin, and commenced practise there.
In 1851 he was elected district attorney for Columbia County, being reelected in 1853 and holding the office for four years. Dixon was almost immediately confronted with the most important judicial question that had ever been brought before the court, arising from a conflict between the state and national governments respecting the enforcement of the Fugitive-Slave Law.
In August 1858, Gov. Randall appointed him judge of the 9th judicial circuit of Wisconsin, but he occupied this position for only eight months, being appointed chief justice of the supreme court in April 1859.
The supreme court of Wisconsin had held that law to be unconstitutional, and on a writ of error the Supreme Court of the Lbiited States had reversed this decision. The case came before Dixon at the June term, 1859, upon a motion to file the remittitur, and, despite the strong personal and political influences at work to bring him in alignment with the predominant state- rights supporters, he rendered an opinion upholding the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. His opinion in this case was masterly from the juridical standpoint and amply vindicated his appointment, but it provoked a political storm.
In 1860, however, he was elected to succeed himself as an Independent, having been repudiated by the state Republican party, and, being reelected three times subsequently, remained on the supreme court bench till 1874, when he resigned because of the inadequacy of his salary. Opening a law office at Milwaukee, he declined an election to the United States Senate, and, devoting himself to his profession, speedily acquired a large practise.
During a period of five years he was continuously engaged in heavy litigation, including the “Granger cases, ” in which he was retained by the state of Wisconsin and successfully upheld the constitutionality of the questioned railroad legislation. He was counsel for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company in the litigation with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company for the right of way through the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas River.
In 1879, asthmatic trouble compelled him to seek a higher altitude, and he moved to Colorado, settling at Denver. Here he appeared constantly in the state and national courts of last resort. Though not brilliant, he was an exceptionally sound judge. He was not a case lawyer, but founded his opinions on established principles, utilizing precedents merely in illustration.
Public life had no attraction for him, and though in principle a Republican, he never appeared as a political speaker.
Dixon's mental processes, singularly clear and invariably logical, were set out in opinions which were distinguished for felicity of style, simplicity of language, and compelling reasoning.
In person over six feet in height, broad and athletic, gifted with much charm of manner, he was unobtrusive and retiring by nature.
