Dixon was born in Dublin, son of Robert Dixon, and was educated at TCD,[2] obtaining BA (1833), MA (1839), DD (1862). He was elected a Fellow of TCD in 1838,[3] and in 1849, he published the book Treatise on Heat, Part 1: The Thermometer; Dilation; Change of State; And Laws of Vapours (Hodges and Smith, Dublin). In 1853 he left TCD, publishing "Scientific Training for Practical Pursuits: A Farewell Address to the Students of the School of Engineering, Trinity College, Dublin" (Hodges and Smith, 1854).
Having been ordained in 1839,[4] in 1853 he became to Rector of Clogherny. Thirty years later he was appointed Archdeacon of Armagh, two years before his death.[citation needed]