Superintendent James Richard Nunn

Prior to employment with the Division of Motor Vehicles, Colonel James Nunn was employed as a truck driver for John Dillard and A. M. Francisco Company. In his early years, he was also a driver for the Greyhound Bus Lines. In June 18, 1928, he was employed by the Division of Motor Vehicles as an Inspector and assigned to Tappahannock.

He was promoted to Sergeant on June 15, 1930 and assigned to Richmond. April 5, 1934, Nunn was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to supervise operations in Districts 2 and 3 in Norfolk. Nunn was promoted to Captain July 1, 1940, and transferred to Richmond.

 When the state police unit of DMV was separated from that agency to become the Department of State Police in 1942, Nunn was designated the Personnel Officer for the newly created department on July 15, 1942. Nunn attended the FBI National Academy in 1943.

March 31, 1944, during World War 2, he was promoted to Major and appointed Acting Superintendent by Governor Colgate Darden to replace Colonel C. W. Woodson who was called for duty as a commissioned officer with the Navy. Upon Woodson’s release from active duty with the Navy in 1945, Nunn returned to his former position as Personnel Officer.

Wife Dorothy Rebecca Smithers Nunn was deceased in 1933. Later to remarry, wife Nancy Elizabeth Poindexter Nunn  was deceased in 1976.

Nunn resigned his position with the Department on July 27, 1947. He died June 27, 1967 and was interred at Providence Methodist Church, King and Queen County, Virginia.