Mr. Dyer was born December 9, 1873, near Preston Summitt in Henry County and attended the public schools of the neighborhood until he was about 14 years of age. Most of his school days were divided with work on the farm for he was compelled to work and get his education at the same time. In 1884 Mr. Dyer moved to Martinsville and his first job was carrying brick for an old fashioned mud mill getting 25 cents a day for his labor and he worked at it from sunup until sundown. Then later he got a job stemming tobacco in the old tobacco factory located on the present site of the Gravely plant. Next he got a job running a press, packing tobacco at the smoking tobacco factory. This was followed by two or three jobs with other concerns. He was employed in other firms and served for a time as assistant postmaster. He later went in to business in Bluefield, WV, but in two years returned to become secretary of the Martinsville Cotton Mill Company, and upon the death of R L Walker in 1919, he became its president and remained until the mill was sold to a New York interest in 1920. He helped organize the American Dining Room and Furniture Company and served there for several years. He is is now an active vice president of the First National Bank and a director. He is a Mason and a member of the First Methodist Church. He served on City Council for a number of years. He is married and has three children.
[The obituary of Hugh Nelson Dyer is in the Martinsville papers of 8/26/1949, p1, col 2 and 8/29/1949, p2, col 5 - these are not available to me. bwl].

Biography contributed by Rebecca R. Dyer, courtesy of Bruce W. Locke
THE DAILY BULLETIN, Martinsville, VA, Wed, Jun 8, 1938, p2, col 3 [edited].
Sketch of Hugh N[elson] Dyer, Candidate For City Council.