George Ward Nichols (June 21, 1831 - September 15, 1885) was an American journalist known as the creator of the legend of

Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement ...

Biography

Nichols was born on June 21, 1831, in

Tremont, Maine Tremont is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. It is located on the southwestern side of Mount Desert Island, known to locals as "the quiet side." Tremont includes the villages of Bass Harbor (or McKinley), Bernard, Gotts Island, ...

. During

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 ...

he served under General

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and General

William Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

. He wrote ''The Story of the Great March'' (1865). The book was translated on several languages. In September 1865 Nichols arrived in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

, where he met James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok. The article ''Wild Bill'' by Nichols appeared in '' Harper’s New Monthly Magazine'' in February 1867. The publication immortalized Wild Bill. Kansas newspapers criticized Nichols for exaggerated exploits of the gunfighter. Later Nichols moved to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, where he became president of the Cincinnati College of Music. From 1868 until his death he was married to

Maria Longworth Nichols Storer Maria Longworth Nichols Storer (March 20, 1849 – April 30, 1932) was the founder of Rookwood Pottery of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, a patron of fine art and the granddaughter of the wealthy Cincinnati businessman Nicholas Longworth (patriar ...

The couple had two children: Joseph and Margaret, wife of French politician

Pierre de Chambrun Pierre de Chambrun (11 June 1865 in Paris – 24 August 1954) was a French politician. Early life Charles Louis Antoine Pierre Gilbert Pineton de Chambrun was born in Paris. The Pineton de Chambrun family was of noble origin and politically ...

. Nichols died from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

Rosa, 1977, p. 143. on September 15, 1885.

Works

*
The Story of the Great March: From the Diary of a Staff Officer
' (1865). *
The Sanctuary: A Story of the Civil War
' (1866). *
Art Education Applied to Industry
' (1877). *
Pottery; How it is Made, Its Shape and Decoration
' (1878). *
The Cincinnati Organ: With a Brief Description of the Cincinnati Music Hall
' (1878).

References

Bibliography

* Rosa J. G.
George Ward Nichols and the Legend of Wild Bill Hickok
' // Arizona and the West. Vol. 19, No.. 2, Summer, 1977. P. 135–162. * Rosa J. G.
They Called Him Wild Bill: The Life and Adventures of James Butler Hickok
'. University of Oklahoma Press. 2012. * Thrapp D. L.
Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, Volume 2: G-O
'. University of Nebraska Press. 1991. P. 1054.

External links

at Spartacus Educational. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, George Ward 1831 births 1885 deaths 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Ohio