Around 1836, young Nixon started as a stable groom in a circus, eventually performing with multiple troupes in the 1840s and 1850s as an acrobat, ringmaster, and equestrian director.
[3] By October 1859, Nixon's Great Circus set up its tent at Broadway and 13th Street, with a company including Melville, Nichols, Ross, Castello, and Madame Mason.
[6] From March 5 to April 6, 1860, the company travelled to Boston with the equestrian troupe of William Cooke as well as Ella Zoyara among the attractions.
[12] While touring the Midwestern United States, James M. Nixon conceived the idea of using the newly established Transcontinental Railroad to bring Dan Castello's Circus and Menagerie to the Pacific coast.
[14] James M. Nixon died from bright's disease on September 16, 1899 in New York City, United States.