George Nichols (Vermont Secretary of State)

George Nichols (April 17, 1827—April 28, 1907) was a Vermont physician, politician, and educator. He was a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and served as

Secretary of State of Vermont The secretary of state of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The secretary of state is fourth (behind the lieutenant governor, speaker of the House of Repres ...

and acting president of

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campus ...

Biography

George Nichols was born in

Northfield, Vermont Northfield is a New England town, town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The town lies in a valley within the Green Mountains and has been home to Norwich University since 1866. It contains the Northfield (CDP), Vermont, village of No ...

on April 17, 1827. He was educated in Northfield, attended

Newbury Seminary Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...

, and taught school beginning at age 15. He then studied medicine in Northfield with Dr. Samuel W. Thayer Jr., after which he attended Vermont Medical College in

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

. After graduating in 1851, Nichols practiced in Northfield, in addition to owning and operating a

drugstore A pharmacy (also called "drugstore" in American English or "community pharmacy" or "chemist" in Commonwealth English, or rarely, apothecary) is a retail shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmacis ...

. From 1848 to 1853, Nichols served as Vermont's state librarian. In 1862, Nichols joined the

for the

. As the regimental surgeon for the

13th Vermont Infantry The 13th Vermont Infantry Regiment was a nine months' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the eastern theater, predominantly in the Defenses of Washington, from October 1862 to August 1863. It was a membe ...

, his service included participation in the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, where he was in charge of a field hospital for the

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

. After the war, Nichols resumed practicing medicine and operating his drug store. Nichols also served in local offices, including town meeting moderator. A

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 ...

in politics, in 1865, Nichols became Vermont's Secretary of State; he held the position until 1884. In 1870, he was president of the state constitutional convention that changed terms for Vermont's state offices from one year to two. Republicans won every statewide election for more than 100 years beginning with the party's founding in the mid-1850s; in addition to serving as the state party's secretary, Nichols ran its statewide campaigns in 1872, 1876 and 1880. He also served as Vermont's member of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

, and was a delegate to the

1872 Republican National Convention The 1872 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 5–6, 1872. President Ulysses S. Grant was unanimously nominated for reelection by the convention's 752 delegates. Massachusetts Senator Henry Wilson replaced s ...

. Nichols was active in several other business ventures, including clerk and treasurer of the

Vermont and Canada Railroad The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Conne ...

, and president of the Northfield National Bank. He was also a trustee of the Northfield Institution; when it was reorganized as the Northfield Graded and High School, he served as a member of the school board. Nichols served on the

board of trustees, and was the college's treasurer from 1866 to 1878. In 1881, he received the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

He was a Norwich vice president from 1885 to 1895, and served as acting president.

Death and burial

Nichols died in Northfield on April 28, 1907. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Northfield.

Family

In 1852, Nichols married Ellen Maria Blake of Vergennes. They were the parents of two children, both of whom died in infancy.

References

Sources

Books

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Newspapers

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, George 1827 births 1907 deaths People from Northfield, Vermont People of Vermont in the American Civil War Vermont lawyers Vermont Republicans Secretaries of State of Vermont Burials in Vermont Norwich University faculty Presidents of Norwich University