Dancy, Oscar Cromwell

Oscar Cromwell Dancy (1879-1971) was born and raised in Wilkes County, North Carolina. After receiving his law degree from Southern Normal University in Huntington, Tennessee, he taught in North Carolina and served with the U. S. Aarmy in the Spanish-American War. Upon returning to the United States, Dancy served as mayor of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. In 1909, Dancy resigned as mayor and moved with his wife to Brownsville, Texas, after she contracted typhoid fever.

Dancy practiced law and served as county judge of Cameron County from 1921 to 1932 and 1934 to 1962. A proponent of county water and highway improvements, he actively encouraged the statewide use of county bond financing and was an ardent supporter of the Democratic Party. His length of position as county judge was longer than any other man’s in the history of the state. The Cameron County courthouse is now housed in the Oscar C. Dancy Building in Brownsville, Texas.

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