 Nixon's parents were Hershell Nixon, a United States Navy officer and a geologist, and Joan Lowery Nixon, a Los Angeles native who penned 140 books, mostly historical fiction and mysteries for young adults.In 1978 Nixon graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Texas A&M University in College Station.In 1982 he obtained his Juris Doctor from the private St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio.