BORN AND EDUCATED IN GRAYSON COUNTY, JAMES NELSON DICKSON BEGAN HIS LONG ASSOCIATION WITH COUNTY GOVERNMENT IN 1914 AS DEPUTY TAX ASSESSOR. FOLLOWING A 1930 COURTHOUSE FIRE, HE WORKED TO REPLACE DESTROYED RECORDS, INCLUDING IMPORTANT SCHOOL BOND PAPERS. IN 1945, THE COMMISSIONERS COURT NAMED HIM TO FILL AN UNEXPIRED TERM AS COUNTY JUDGE, A POSITION HE HELD THROUGH SUBSEQUENT ELECTIONS UNTIL 1962. UPON RETIREMENT, HE DEVOTED HIS EFFORTS TO THE PROMOTION OF LOCAL HERITAGE THROUGH MUSEUMS, EVENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMPILED A HISTORY OF GRAYSON COUNTY SCHOOLS.