John Nicholson (1756 – 1844) was an officer in the
Continental Navy during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
The son of Joseph and Hannah Scott Nicholson, he was born in
Chestertown, Maryland
Chestertown is a town in Kent County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,252 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Kent County.
History
Founded in 1706, Chestertown rose in stature when it was named one of the English col ...
. John Nicholson entered the Continental Navy as Lieutenant in October 1776 and the next month was promoted to Captain to command
sloop ''Hornet''.
After the war, he was elected as a member of The
Society of the Cincinnati in the state of Maryland in 1786.
He was active in public affairs for many years in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, where he died in the summer of 1844.
The ships named
USS ''Nicholson'' were named for him, his older brothers,
James Nicholson and
Samuel Nicholson
Samuel Nicholson (1743 – December 28, 1811) was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. Along with shipwright George Claghorn he oversaw the building of ("Old I ...
, his son,
William Nicholson and his grandnephew,
James W. Nicholson
Rear Admiral James William Augustus Nicholson (10 March 1821 – 28 October 1887) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.
Life and naval career
The son of Nathaniel Nicholson and gra ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, John
1756 births
1844 deaths
United States Navy officers