James S. Nelson

James S. Nelson earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Black Hills State University and received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Dakota. After law school, Jim served three years in the United States Army as a Captain in the JAG Corps. Jim served in the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1969–1974. He has been a member of the State Bar of South Dakota, the American Bar Association, the South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the American Board of Trial Advocates, in which he served on the National Board of Directors and as past president of the South Dakota Chapter.
Jim is also a former president of the South Dakota Trial Lawyers Association and the State Bar of South Dakota. Jim was active in the local community, where he was president of The Mount Rushmore Institute and served on the board of directors of the Hope Center. Jim also served on the board of directors of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Society and was its president from 1999–2005. He has served on various boards for profit and nonprofit corporations, including insurance companies and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines. He was a past president of the Rushmore Mutual Life Insurance Company and Mt. Rushmore Casualty Company.