Dancy, Oscar Cromwell, 1879-1971

Oscar Cromwell Dancy (1879-1971), born and raised in Wilkes County, North Carolina, on December 22, 1879, received his law degree from Southern Normal University in Huntington, Tennessee.

He taught in North Carolina then served with the army in the Spanish-American War. Upon returning to the United States, he served as mayor of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. This appointment was short, however, as Dancy resigned and moved with his wife to Brownsville, Texas, in 1909, after she contracted typhoid fever. Dancy worked as a lawyer and also served as county judge of Cameron County, 1921-1932, 1934-1962. A proponent of county water and highway improvements, he actively encouraged the statewide use of county bond financing and was an ardent supporter of Democratic Party politics. 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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