Dickson entered the Ceylon Civil Service as a writer on 28 February 1859 and served in Ceylon until 1885,[5][6][7] including a position as the Central ProvincialGovernment Agent. He arrived in Singapore in 1885 to receive instruction on becoming the new Colonial Secretary in Singapore, which he served until 1891.[4][5]
As Colonial Secretary, he instructed the Public Works Department to maintain the historical inscriptions, granite stones, and brick works in the cemetery on Government Hill.[9]
J. Frederick Dickson was twice married.[5] He was married to his first wife from 1859 until her death in 1866. His second wife was Emily, Lady Dickson, née Emily Ayton Lee (christened on 2 September 1842, married in 1875 in Kensington and died on 10 October 1924).[10]
Singapore: Days of Old. A Special Commemorative History of Singapore Published on the 10th Anniversary of Singapore Tatler, Singapore: Illustrated Magazine Pub. Co., 1992, pp. 48–49, ISBN978-962709319-0.
Tate, D. J. M. (1988), A Portrait Gallery of Nineteenth Century Singapore, Singapore: Antiques of the Orient, ISBN978-981-00-0668-6.