MANCHESTER, NH – David Nixon, 82, a longtime Manchester attorney and former NH Senate President has died.
“One of the lions of the bar has passed,” said Lawrence Vogelman, a partner in Nixon’s Manchester practice and longtime friend and colleague.
Gov. Maggie Hassan posted the following statement on as news of Nixon’s death on Saturday circulated:
“Tom and I are saddened to hear of the passing of David Nixon. A veteran, state representative, Senate President, dedicated New Boston official and member of numerous boards and committees, he was committed to helping his fellow citizens and exemplified New Hampshire’s tradition of public service. We will miss his fighting spirit, humor and kindness, and join Granite Staters in mourning his loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with David’s family and loved ones.”
Nixon, a U.S. Army veteran, also served as a representative to the New Hampshire Legislature from 1969-70, and was named Outstanding First Year Legislator in 1969. He was elected president of the New Hampshire State Senate in 1973-74, having served as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee during 1971-72. He also served as a delegate to the 1984 New Hampshire Constitutional Convention, and to the 1976 Republican National Convention as a Ford-Dole delegator.
He became an active Democrat in 1986, according to a biography posted on his law firm site, Nixon, Vogelman, Barry, Slawsky, & Simoneau.
In his own words, Nixon had this to say in a 2008 NH Bar interview, about his passion for practicing law:
“I enjoy helping people find their way through the ever more complicated and difficult obstacles of the law. I strongly believe in Part 1, Article 14th of the New Hampshire Constitution (adopted June 2, 1784), ‘Legal remedies to be free, complete, and prompt. Every subject of this state is entitled to a certain remedy, by having recourse to the laws, for all injuries he may receive in his person, property, or character; to obtain right and justice freely, without being obliged to purchase it; completely and without any denial; promptly and without delay; conformably to the laws.'”
As the 2014 Election season entered its final weekend, tributes to Nixon were mounting across social media including this comment from Charlie Arlinghaus, president of The Josiah Bartlett Center:
“Sad to hear of passing of David Nixon, former Sen Pres. A very nice man from an era when one could disagree and be friends.”
