John Cochran Nicoll (October 7, 1793 – November 16, 1863) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the District of Georgia The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...

, the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (in case citations, N.D. Ga.) is a United States district court which serves the residents of forty-six counties. These are divided up into four divisions. Appeals from cases ...

and the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia The United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia (in case citations, S.D. Ga.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appeal ...

Education and career

Born on October 7, 1793, in

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, Nicoll attended

Litchfield Law School The Litchfield Law School of Litchfield, Connecticut, was the first independent law school established in America for reading law. Founded and led by lawyer Tapping Reeve, the proprietary school was unaffiliated with any college or university. (Whi ...

. He entered private practice in Savannah. He was a recorder for Savannah. He was a member of the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. T ...

. He was solicitor for the Eastern Judicial Circuit of Georgia from 1821 to 1822. He was a Judge of the Savannah City Court from 1824 to 1834, and from 1835 to 1838. He was a Judge of the Superior Court of Georgia for the Eastern Judicial Circuit from 1834 to 1835. He was Mayor of Savannah.

Federal judicial service

Nicoll received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the advi ...

from President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (Uni ...

on May 11, 1839, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

Jeremiah La Touche Cuyler Jeremiah La Touche Cuyler (June 4, 1768 – May 7, 1839) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Georgia. Early life Cuyler was born on June 4, 1768, in New York City, Province of New York, Bri ...

. He was nominated to the same position by President Van Buren on January 23, 1840. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 17, 1840, and received his commission the same day. Nicoll was reassigned by

operation of law The phrase "by operation of law" is a legal term that indicates that a right or liability has been created for a party, irrespective of the intent of that party, because it is dictated by existing legal principles. For example, if a person dies wi ...

to the

and the

on August 11, 1848, to a new joint seat authorized by 9 Stat. 280. His service terminated on January 19, 1861, due to his resignation.

Later career and death

Following his resignation from the federal bench, Nicoll was the Confederate District Attorney for the District of Georgia from 1861 to 1863. He died on November 16, 1863, in Savannah.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicoll, John Cochran 1793 births 1863 deaths Mayors of Savannah, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Georgia Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia United States federal judges appointed by Martin Van Buren 19th-century American judges