David J. Dixson (1892-1970)

Dr. David Johnson Dixson was born in 1892 in Barnwell, South Carolina, to Wesley S. Dixson, a merchant who was also the local postmaster, and Martha A. Johnson, a seamstress. Dixson was one of five children.

Dixson was a graduate of Benedict College and Howard University. He practiced medicine in his hometown of Barnwell, South Carolina, for over 50 years. He is believed to be the area’s first Black dentist. In 1956, he was elected to the national presidency of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, serving as its Grand Sire Archon until 1958.

Dixson married Virginia Ryan in Barnwell County, South Carolina, in 1918. He died on March 20, 1970, in Barnwell, South Carolina. He was survived by his widow, Virginia, and their two children, Martha Audrey and David Ryan, who followed in his father’s footsteps and became dentists. 

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