Leslie Robinson Nicholas Sr. (June 21, 1902 – December 17, 1948) was an executive for

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America is one of the largest mutual life insurance companies in the world. Based in Manhattan, it has approximately 8,000 employees in the United States and a network of over 3,000 financial representativ ...

and president of the Nicholas Realty Company. Nicholas was a United States Army major of an

anti-aircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

unit in the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

and was one of the most decorated Pacific War veterans from Wayne County, Georgia.

Early life and career

Leslie "Nick" Nicholas was born on June 21, 1902, in Dales Mill, Wayne County, Georgia, as the only child of Eva Melissa Robinson (1876-1975) and Alexander Stephens Nicholas (1862-1938). His father Alex was one of eight siblings born in 1862 during the American Civil War to farmer James Hamilton Nicholas (1832-1910) the son of Jonathan Nicholas Jr. Anne Nichols, also born in Dales Mill, is the granddaughter of James and cousin of Leslie. His maternal grandfather James Robinson was a pioneer of

Volusia County, Florida Volusia County (, ) is located in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Florida, stretching between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 census, the county was home to 553,543 people, an increase of 11.9% from the 20 ...

, working in real estate, mercantile and agriculture. Nicholas' middle name comes from James Robinson. Nicholas in his youth lived in Waycross, Screven, Jacksonville and White Springs because of his father's profession as a merchant. His father had also attended a military academy in the 1880s which later influenced Nicholas' intentions on attending

Gordon College Gordon College may refer to: * Gordon State College, a public college in Barnesville, Georgia * Gordon College (Massachusetts), a Christian college in Wenham, Massachusetts * Government Gordon College, a Christian college in Rawalpindi, Pakistan * ...

a military school in Barnesville, Georgia. In his youth and throughout his life Nicholas went by the nickname Nick. In 1930 Alex moved to Seville, Florida, where he had a naval store called A.S. Nicholas Company. In 1919 Nicholas enrolled at

Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

where he joined the

Alpha Kappa Psi Alpha Kappa Psi (, often stylized as AKPsi) is the oldest and largest business fraternity to current date. Also known as "AKPsi", the fraternity was founded on October 5, 1904, at New York University and was incorporated on May 20, 1905. It is cu ...

, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Phi Kappa Phi fraternities. While at Georgia Tech he was captain of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in Company D, Glee Club Pianist, an associate editor of the Georgia Tech yearbook and made the honor roll every year. Nicholas graduated in 1922 with a Bachelor of Science in commerce.

Insurance and real estate

On November 14, 1923, Nicholas married Sybil Williams in

Bulloch County, Georgia Bulloch County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,099, up from 70,217 in 2010. The county seat is Statesboro. Bulloch County comprises the Statesboro, GA Mic ...

, and then relocated to Tampa, Florida. Nicholas pursued a career in real estate called Nicholas Realty Company as president of the company. The Nicholas Realty Company assisted customers with purchasing real estate. The company also owned several properties and would lease them to customers. In 1926 Nicholas leased the Henry-Knight building to Frank Sullivan of Savannah for $100,000. Nicholas was a member of the Tampa Junior Chamber of Commerce being an occasional speaker. Nicholas left the Nicholas Realty Company in the early 1930s to pursue a career in insurance with

. Nicholas first joined Guardian Life as a supervisor. In July 1932 Nicholas went to Quebec for an insurance convention to represent Guardian Life Insurance. On May 10, 1936, Nicholas participated in Governor Sholtz's proclamation signing declaring May 11–16 life insurance week. Nicholas moved to Jacksonville, Florida, ten years later where he continued to work for Guardian Life Insurance at the Barnett National Bank Building. Nicholas had a second son in 1937 but died one day later after he was born. In 1938 his father Alex died from complications of cancer in Jacksonville.

Military career

In 1917 Nicholas enrolled in

where he first began training in the military. At Gordon College he was president of the Florida club, president of the Happy Four Club, and secretary and treasurer of the Florida club. Nicholas' rank at Gordon College was First Sergeant of Company B from 1918 to 1919 and then Lieutenant in 1919. Nicholas graduated from Gordon College in 1919. Because Nicholas was 16 years old when he first attended Gordon College he did not have to register for service in World War I due to not meeting the age requirement of 18 years old. Nicholas enlisted in the United States Army Reserve beginning in the early 1920s while pursuing a career in real estate and then insurance. Nicholas was ranked Lt. in the C.A.C. artillery group and regularly gave speeches to fellow active duty reserve members.

World War II

On February 14, 1942, Nicholas registered for military service as part of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 at 39 years old. Nicholas entered active duty on July 20, 1942, and was transferred to Camp Blanding where he became a major of the 117th AAA Group. After serving time at Camp Blanding Major Nicholas was transferred to

Camp Stoneman Camp Stoneman was a United States Army facility located in Pittsburg, California. It served as a major troop staging area for and under the command of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation (SFPOE). The camp operated during World War II and the Kor ...

and then to the Pacific to take part in the

where he was in the United States Army Coast Artillery Corps. During the six month

Guadalcanal Campaign The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in th ...

Major Nicholas commanded the 117th AAA Group. Artillery groups such as Nicholas' helped ensure an American victory at Guadalcanal where over 8,000 Japanese were killed during the campaign. After Guadalcanal Nicholas and the 117th joined the Bougainville campaign, Battle of Leyte, and the Battle for Cebu City. While Nicholas was in the South Pacific he was wounded at an undisclosed location and later received the Purple Heart. On July 30, 1944, Nicholas' wife Sybil died while he was in the South Pacific. His son Leslie Jr. was forced to go to Riverside Military Academy while his father was in the South Pacific. After the academy, Leslie Jr. served in the United States Merchant Marine Cadet Corps for two years as a cadet midshipman. Major Nicholas returned from the war on November 21, 1945, at Camp Blanding.

Later life and death

Nicholas returned to his career in insurance as agency secretary after the war in Jacksonville, Florida. He became the director of the Jacksonville Lions Club and the YMCA. Nicholas met Louise Knight in Jacksonville and they married in 1947. In February 1946 Leslie was given a discharge from the United States Army after serving 20 years. In December 1946 the board of directors at Guardian Life Insurance appointed him as an officer at the home office in New York City. Nicholas directed Guardian Life's field training division to help select candidates for manager positions. In 1947 Nicholas was diagnosed with cancer and gradually declined in health. He most likely developed the previously undiagnosed cancer while serving in the Pacific. In 1948 Nicholas had a son named after his father Alexander Stephens "Alex" Nicholas in New York City. In that same year on December 17, 1948, Nicholas died at 46 years old in Port Chester, New York. Nicholas was interred at Arlington National Cemetery for his service in the Pacific War.

Published works

Nicholas, L.R. (April 30, 1927) ''"Now" - is the answer to the Salaried Man's Question - "When?"'' The Tampa Tribune.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas, Leslie R. 1902 births 1948 deaths Georgia Tech alumni Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) American businesspeople in insurance Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American businesspeople American real estate brokers Gordon State College alumni Businesspeople from Tampa, Florida Military personnel from Jacksonville, Florida Businesspeople from Jacksonville, Florida American business executives United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)