Inventory of the Julian Dixon Papers, 1973-1978

Processed by The California State Archives staff.
California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
© 2003
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Inventory of the Julian Dixon Papers, 1973-1978

Inventory: See Series Descriptions



California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California

Contact Information:

  • California State Archives
  • 1020 "O" Street
  • Sacramento, California 95814
  • Phone: (916) 653-2246
  • Fax: (916) 653-7363
  • Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
  • URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
Processed by: The California State Archives staff
Date Completed: 2003
Encoded by: Laura Avedisian
© 2003 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Dixon (Julian C.) Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1973-1978
Collection number: See Series Descriptions
Creator: Dixon, Julian
Extent: 5.5 cubic feet
Repository: California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: Julian Carey Dixon, Democrat, was a State Assembly Member representing portions of Los Angeles County from 1973-1978. He was a Representative in the United States Congress from 1979-2000. His papers include Assembly bill files, 1973-1978; committee files, 1973-1977; and subject files, 1973-1976.
Physical location: California State Archives
Language: English.

Administrative Information

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives staff. Permission for reproduction or publication is given on behalf of the California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives' collections.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Julian Dixon Papers, LP[number]:[folder number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.

Acquisition Information

The California State Archives acquired the Julian Dixon papers following his assembly term.

Processing History

This collection was processed by the California State Archives staff.

Biography

Julian Carey Dixon, Democrat, was a State Assembly Member, 1973-1978. His 63rd District included portions of Los Angeles County. Following redistricting in 1974, he represented the 49th District which included portions of Los Angeles County.
Dixon was born in Washington, D.C. on August 8, 1934; his family moved to Los Angeles in 1947. He attended Los Angeles grammar and high schools and he graduated from Los Angeles State College with a B.S. in Political Science in 1962. He attended Southwestern University Law School, graduating in 1967. He served in the United States Army as a Sergeant, 1957-1960. Dixon married Bettye Lee and had a son, Cary Gordon Dixon.
Dixon was a member of the State Sickle Cell Anemia Advisory Committee, the NAACP, the Urban League and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, he was Administrative Assistant to State Senator Mervyn M. Dymally. He was a delegate to the California State Democratic conventions, 1972-1978, and to the Democratic National Convention, 1976.
Dixon was first elected to the State Assembly in 1972. He served in the Assembly from 1973-1978. According to the California Legislature at Sacramento (Handbooks), Dixon served on the following committees as a State Assembly Member:

Biography/Organization History

  • Standing Committees
  • California Arts Commission, 1975-1978
  • Criminal Justice, 1973-1978
  • Education, 1973-1975
  • Employment and Public Employees, 1973-1974
  • * Vice Chair, 1973-1974
  • Public Employees and Retirement, 1976
  • Retirement, 1973-1974
  • Ways and Means, 1976-1978
  • Select Committees
  • Health Sciences Education, 1976
  • * Vice Chair, 1976
  • Juvenile Violence, 1974
  • * Vice Chair, 1974
In 1979, Julian Dixon began his eleven consecutive terms as a Representative in the United States Congress. Dixon was known as an influential conciliator who created bipartisan coalitions, yet held very few press conferences compared to most of his colleagues. He served as senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. In 1989, he was chair of the Committee on the Standards of Official Conduct when it investigated House Speaker Jim Wright, who later resigned. As a Representative, he helped secure emergency funds for damaged businesses after the 1992 civil disturbances in Los Angeles, and for communities after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. He was a leading supporter of Los Angeles' commuter rail system. He also chaired the appropriations panel responsible for Washington, D.C.
Julian Dixon died on December 8, 2000, shortly after winning re-election to his 12th term in the House with 84% of the vote. He is buried in Inglewood Cemetery, Los Angeles.

Scope and Content

The Julian Dixon Papers consist of 5.5 cubic feet of records containing Assembly bill files, 1973-1978; committee files, 1973-1977; and subject files, 1973-1976. During his time as an Assembly Member, Dixon authored and supported bills on anti-discrimination laws, minority issues, juvenile justice, wards of the court, school district regulations and retirement plans for public employees. His bills included anti-discrimination measures such as AB3124, which significantly reformed the Fair Employment Practices Commission and AB1774, which prohibited licensees under the Business and Professions Code from discriminating based on race, color, religion, ancestry or national origin.
Dixon's committee files and his subject files reflect his continuing interest in African American issues, the justice system, and retirement for public employees. His committee files reflect the key issues of the committees he served on, including criminal justice, education, elections and reapportionment, and public employees' retirement. His subject files include correspondence, memos and background information on consumer affairs, environment, health, media, minorities, transportation and women.

Related Collections

Additional records may be found in the Julian Dixon Collection of the Public Officials' Papers Collections at the library of California State University, Los Angeles.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been associated with these materials in the Archives' automated public access system (currently in development, December 2004).

Subjects

Dixon, Julian C., 1934-2000
California. Legislature. Assembly. Committee on Criminal Justice
Minority business enterprises
African American legislators


LP163:69-113; LP168:28-33; LP196:217-235

Bill Files 1973-1978

Physical Description: 70 file folders

Arrangement

Bill files are arranged chronologically by legislative session and alphabetically and numerically by bill number.

Scope and Content Note

Bill files created by Julian Dixon include bill analyses, amendments and resolutions, correspondence, position statements, author's statements, testimony, press releases, newspaper clippings, background information, and committee statements.
1973-1974 AB358-AB4421, ACA38, ACRs, AJR43 (14ff) LP163:69-82
1975-1976 AB85-AB4424, ACRs, AB24x (22ff) LP163:83-104
1975-1976 AB1428, AB3121 (11ff) LP196:217-27
1977-1978 AB90, AB958 (8ff) LP196:228-235
1977-1978 AB84-AB3599, ACR14 (9ff) LP163:105-113
1977-1978 AB519, AB1912, AB1915-1920, AB1963, AB2000, AB2178, AB2728, AB2968 (6ff) LP168:28-33
LP195:16-41

Committee Files 1973-1977

Physical Description: 26 file folders

Arrangement

Committee files are arranged alphabetically by committee name.

Scope and Content Note

These committee files are comprised of materials kept by Julian Dixon concerning committees on which he served. They include correspondence received and sent, memos, bill analyses, background documentation and general information received on legislation and issues under consideration by the committees.
Criminal Justice, 1973-1977 (11ff) LP195:16-26
Education, 1973-1976 (7ff) LP195:27-33
Elections and Reapportionment, 1973-1975 (3ff) LP195:34-36
Employment and Public Employees, 1973-1975 (2ff) LP195:37-38
Public Employees Retirement, 1975 (2ff) LP195:39-40
Retirement, 1973-1974 (1ff) LP195:41
LP195:42-52

Subject Files 1973-1976

Physical Description: 11 file folders

Arrangement

Subject files are arranged alphabetically by suject heading.

Scope and Content Note

Subject files created by Julian Dixon may contain correspondence, reports, newspaper clippings, press releases, speeches, opinions, and background materials. They relate to the general areas of proposed and pending legislation, community activities, and district affairs.
Consumer Affairs, 1973-1975 (1ff) LP195: 42
Environment, 1973-1975 (2ff) LP195:43-44
Health, 1973-1976 (1ff) LP195:45
Media, 1973-1975 (1ff) LP195:46
Minorities, Black Organizations, 1973-1975 (4ff) LP195:47-50
Transportation , 1973-1975 (1ff) LP195:51
Women, 1973-1975 (1ff) LP195:52