County Commissioner and business owner James H. Down Sr. (1877-1946) was born in Michigan on September 20, 1877. After the death of both of his parents, he was adopted by Walter A. Down. In 1907 James H. Down married his first wife, Rogena Mahar. They moved to Nevada in 1916 and settled in Goodsprings, Nevada where he worked for George A. Fayle. In 1923, Down relocated to Las Vegas and operated a garage. He opened a Studebaker automobile dealership at the corner of Main and Carson Streets in downtown Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, James H. Down Sr.