Robert A. Nicholas (born October 14, 1957) is an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician. He is currently a member of the

Wyoming House of Representatives The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of ...

from the 7th district. A lawyer by profession, Nicholas was first elected from the 8th district in November 2010, taking office early the next year.

Early life and career

Born in Lander,

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

, Nicholas graduated from the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1982, followed three years later with a degree from the

University of Wyoming College of Law The University of Wyoming College of Law is the law school of the University of Wyoming and the only law school located in Wyoming. It is situated in the Rocky Mountains in Laramie, Wyoming at 7,165 ft. between the Laramie Mountains and Snowy ...

Political career

Nicholas first ran for the 8th district in 2008 and lost to the incumbent Lori Millin, 2,438 votes to 2,271, but he succeeded two years later. He was unopposed in the 2010 primary and beat Democrat Ken McCauley 1,950 votes to 1,635. He is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. During his campaign, he emphasized economic growth, smaller government and environmental protections as his priorities, and he also wanted to push for a pilot charter school in Laramie County. On November 23, 2011, Nicholas was arrested in

Boca Grande, Florida Boca Grande is a small residential community on Gasparilla Island in southwest Florida. Gasparilla Island is a part of both Charlotte and Lee counties, while the actual village of Boca Grande, which is home to many seasonal and some year-rou ...

on the felony charge that he had assaulted his 19-year-old, mentally disabled son outside a restaurant. The charges were subsequently dropped upon review by the Florida State Attorney's office because of "insufficient evidence". Nicholas considers himself a fiscal

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

who supports cuts in the state bureaucracy and increases in the

rainy day fund A rainy day or rainy day fund is a reserved amount of money to be used in times when regular income is disrupted or decreased in order for typical operations to continue. In the United States, the term is usually used to apply to the funds mainta ...

to an amount equal to two years of current state spending. "There is no government agency that will not spend all that you give it, and it's hard as a legislator, if you see a pot of money there, not to spend it. So I'm a strong advocate of saving any monies that we possibly can," Nicholas told the ''

Wyoming Tribune Eagle The ''Wyoming Tribune Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Cheyenne and distributed primarily in Laramie County, Wyoming. It is the state's second largest newspaper in terms of circulation, behind the ''Casper Star Tribune''. The ''Tribune Ea ...

''. Nevertheless, he indicated that he could support a small increase in the

gasoline tax A fuel tax (also known as a petrol, gasoline or gas tax, or as a fuel duty) is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries the fuel tax is imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation. Fuels used to power agricultural ...

to fund highway projects. In 2012, Nicholas worked on a juvenile justice bill that would increase the confidentiality for young persons charged in criminal cases. He was reported as supporting changes in the educational system with less reliance on standardized testing: "We just have to do more than test-based criteria. It has to be more comprehensive than that." Nicholas was opposed in the August 2012 Republican primary by Keith Eldred and Margaret Wall. In the general election Nicholas faced Kathleen Peterson.

Personal life

A widower, Nicholas has three children. He is a Catholic and lives in Cheyenne. State senator

Phil Nicholas Philip Nicholas (born March 16, 1955) is a Republican member of the Wyoming Senate for the 10th district, encompassing Albany County.

is his brother.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas, Bob 1957 births Living people Wyoming lawyers Ranchers from Wyoming Republican Party members of the Wyoming House of Representatives Politicians from Cheyenne, Wyoming People from Lander, Wyoming University of Wyoming alumni University of Wyoming College of Law alumni 21st-century American politicians Catholics from Wyoming