nt of schools in New York, and in
this capacity made valuable reports concerning the public schools of the
state, and a report (1836) which led to the publication of the _Natural
History of the State of New York_ (1842-1866). In 1842 he was a member
of the New York assembly. In 1841-1843 he was editor of _The Northern
Light_, a literary and scientific journal published in Albany. From 1845
to 1849 he was a United States senator from New York; and as chairman of
the committee on commerce was author of the warehouse bill passed by
Congress in 1846 to relieve merchants from immediate payment of duties
on imported goods. In 1848 he was nominated for governor of New York by
the Free Soil party, but was defeated by Hamilton Fish. His acceptance
of the nomination, however, earned him the enmity of the southern
Democrats, who prevented his appointment by Pierce as secretary of state
and as minister to France in 1853. In this year Dix was for a few weeks
assistant U.S. treasurer in New York city. In May 1860 he became
postmaster of New York city, and from January until March 1861 he was
secretary of the treasury of the United States, in which capacity he
issued (January 29, 1861) to a revenue officer at New Orleans a famous
order containing the words, "if any one attempts to haul down the
American flag, shoot him on the spot." He rendered important services
in hurrying forward troops in 1861, was appointed major-general of
volunteers in June 1861, and during the Civil War commanded successively
the department of Maryland (July 1861-May 1862), Fortress Monroe (May
1862-July 1863), and the department of the East (July 1863-July 1865).
He was minister to France from 1866 to 1869, and in 1872 was elected by
the Republicans governor of New York, but was defeated two years later.
He had great energy and administrative ability, was for a time president
of the Chicago & Rock Island and of the Mississippi & Missouri railways,
first president of the Union Pacific in 1863-1868, and for a short time
in 1872 president of the Erie. He died in New York city on the 21st of
April 1879. Among his publications are _A Winter in Madeira and a Summer
in Spain and Florence_ (1850), and _Speeches and Occasional Addresses_
(1864). He wrote excellent English versions of the _Dies irae_ and the
_Stabat mater_.

His son, MORGAN DIX (1827-1908), graduated at Columbia in 1848 and at
the General Theological Seminary in 1852, and was ordained deacon (1852)
and