Lyman H. Nelson graduated from Portland High School in 1885. In 1898 he formed the Lyman H. Nelson Company, which sold souvenirs of the State of Maine. Mr. Nelson was instrumental in bringing about the establishment of a State Highway Commission in 1913, and he became the first chairman of the Commission.

After retiring from the Commission in 1924, Mr. Nelson pursued a career in real estate. He died in 1927.