James Dickson was born in Donegal, Ireland and later traveled with his family to
Vancouver Island in
1859.
Governor James Douglas appointed Dickson as Coroner of
Vancouver Island on
9 January 1860. In his commission, Dickson was placed as the Coroner for the district of
Victoria,
Esquimalt, and all the districts adjacent. At the time of his position, Dickson was the only known person in the colony to hold
this office. Due to this authority, and his responsibility on cases of death, he was
recognized as an equal by the Executive and Medical departments. Through this recognition, Dickson could impanel a jury in order to look into causes
of death if they warranted a further investigation -- leading to trials and convictions
based on Dickson's depositions and authority.
As Coroner, Dickson also sat as a member of the Legislative Assembly for the district
of
Victoria in
1864. His involvement in politics led to his share of opinions such as: an introduction
of a bill for proper provisions for Marriage License Fees, and advocating for the
abolition of the imprisonment of people on the basis of their debt.
Although Dickson held a position with high authority and even claimed to be a medicinal
doctor beyond Coroner -- alleging to be the medical attendant of Major Humphreys, his position was, for many years, on the edge of removal.
Governor Kennedy pursued the issue of the removal of Dickson in
1866.
Kennedy's said motive for Dickson's removal focused on the concept of
retrenchment
-- to cut back on the colony's spending -- and on amalgamating the Coroner's Office
with that of the Stipendiary Magistrate of
Victoria. Other members of the Legislative Assembly decided that it was against English Law
to remove Dickson without a concrete cause; nonetheless, others considered the removal
of Dickson a
good riddance.
It is unclear if or when Dickson's removal occurred, what was more often stated in
newspapers, such as the
Chronicle, was primarily the debates over his imminent dismissal. Due to this uncertainty, it is unclear how long Dickson held his position besides
the known six years he was Coroner, and because his death is also unknown -- Dickson
and his later life remain a mystery.