John Dix

Born in Littleton, Massachusetts, in 1796, John Dix played a significant role in American and state history. As a teenager, he served aboard a privateer during the War of 1812. He was engaged in capturing the English brig Don Cossack, which had left a California port. He soon became a sea captain and was shipwrecked on the island of New Zealand. In 1825 Dix married Mary Eliza Hayes of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and he founded a settlement in Washtenaw County, Michigan, which bears his name. Once his family migrated to Texas, Dix served as a soldier in the Texas Revolution. In October of 1835 he enlisted in the Texian army as a private in the company of Captain James Swisher and served one month at San Antonio de Bexar before being discharged on November 4. In 1849, after fifteen years of farming in the town of independence, the Dix family moved to Nueces County and settled in Corpus Christi where Dix purchased six city lots from the city’s founder, Henry L. Kinney. He was a successful sheep rancher, winning prizes at the lone star fair. Dix was appointed as “surveyor and inspector of the revenue for the port of Corpus Christi” by president Franklin Pierce in 1854 and was later reappointed by president James Buchanan in 1858. The Civil War split the Dix family when members took opposite sides. Dix, a pro-union activist, was indicted in 1864 for treason against the Confederate States of America along with eight others. The war ended before any action could be taken against the men. After the war, Dix was appointed chief justice of Nueces County, a position he held until 1869, the year before his death. (2013)

John Dix is a historical marker in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, dedicated in 2013. It is one of 105 historical markers documented in Nueces County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 147 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 27.8014, -97.3998 near Corpus Christi. The nearest cataloged historic site is Louis de Planque (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include William DeRyee, Old Bayview Cemetery, and Parker, Thomas S..

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507017624. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.