Educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge, Dyson began his academic career in 1955, when he was appointed Assistant Lecturer in English Literature at the University of North Wales, Bangor.
He had sent hundreds of letters to Members of Parliament and celebrities asking for their support, successfully bringing together an impressive collection of distinguished names, including Noel Annan, Lord Attlee, Alfred Ayer, Isaiah Berlin, Trevor Huddleston, Julian Huxley, C. Day-Lewis, J.
"[4] The same group of people simultaneously founded the Albany Trust, the charitable arm of the HLRS, which became the pioneer national counselling agency for gay men and lesbians.
[5] During this time, he met Cliff Tucker (18 December 1912 – 21 May 1993), a senior executive at BP, a Labour Party councillor in inner London and a magistrate.
The papers of Tony Dyson and of his partner, Cliff Tucker, are housed at the University of Manchester John Rylands Library Special Collections.