Royal Dixon was a well-regarded naturalist in the early twentieth century. He was born in Huntsville, Texas to Elijah and Francis Elizabeth Dixon. The date of his birth has been contested and ranges anywhere from 1880 to 1885. He began his academic career at Sam Houston State Teachers College then on to the Morgan Park Academy, Chicago. Later, he was a special student at Chicago University and Columbia University. He served as the N.Y. Curator for the Department of Botany, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (1905-1910) and as a columnist for the Houston Chronicle (1910-1927). He also began the Dixon School Creative Writing which were primarily classes taught in his home. He was the founder of the First Church for Animal Rights. Dixon was active in working to increase rights for immigrants in the United States and wrote several essays asking for increased rights for the immigrant community. He lived much of his adult life with his partner Chester Snowden, a well-regarded local artist. Snowden worked with Dixon frequently by contributing work for his writing. After a debilitating car accident, Snowden took over as Dixon’s power of attorney and handled all of Dixon’s affairs.

He published several works on the role of nature in society including The Human Side of Plants, The Human Side of Animals, The Human Side of Birds and The Human Side of Trees. Dixon also wrote several short stories.