Elmore Dixie Beggs, Jr. (1908-2001) was a Pensacola attorney and partner with the firm Beggs, Lane, Daniel, Gaines & Davis who
| E. Dixie Beggs, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 3, 1908 |
| Died | February 20, 2001 |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Spouse | Sara Strickland (d. 1941) Margaret Walker Ridley Leonora Risher |
| Parents | Elmore Dixie Sr. & Lily Clubbs Beggs |
| Children | Caroline & Dixie III |
Born on April 3, 1908, to Judge E. Dixie Beggs, Sr. and Lily Clubbs Beggs, Beggs attended Pensacola public schools, where he excelled at debate and tennis. He began working at his father's firm as an office boy at age 13. He went on to the University of Florida, where he served in the university's ROTC program, and received his law degree in 1931.
Beggs practiced law in Pensacola, then served an eight-year term as state's attorney. He succeeded his father on the board of the First Bank & Trust Company and joined the Pensacola Rotary Club, serving as its president from 1934 to 1935. His first wife, Sara Strickland, died in childbirth in 1941, and Beggs was wracked by depression. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, Beggs enlisted the next day. He served in the famed 88th Infantry Division during its Italian campaign and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Returning home, Beggs reentered the legal profession and remarried to Margaret Walker Ridley, with whom he had two children, Caroline Cornelia and Dixie III. He became integral in the formation of Baptist Hospital, which opened in 1951. Initially the hospital's legal representative, he served as vice-president for 23 years before becoming president of the hospital's board of directors.
After the early death of his second wife, he married again to Leonora Risher. He passed away at age 92 on February 20, 2001. He is buried in St. John's Cemetery.
Community involvement
References
- "Local lawyer was a 'consummate American.'" Pensacola News Journal, February 27, 2001.
- John Appleyard. "Dixie Beggs was always a man associated with good works." Pensacola News Journal, March 1, 2001.
- Pensacola Law Heritage in St. John's Historic Cemetery