William Nicoll (1657 – November 20, 1723) was an English-born colonial American merchant and politician who served as the

Speaker of the New York General Assembly The Speaker of the New York General Assembly was the highest official in the New York General Assembly, the first representative governing body in New York from 1683 to 1775 when the assembly disbanded after the outbreak of the American Revolution ...

Early life

Nicoll was born in the village of

Islip, Northamptonshire Islip is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England. The village is just west of Thrapston and east of Kettering. The parish is bounded to the east by the River Nene and to the north by Harpurs Brook, a tributary of the Nene ...

, in 1657. He was the son of Abigail (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Johns) Nicoll and

Matthias Nicoll Matthias Nicoll (1630 – December 22, 1687), a.k.a. Nicolls, was the sixth mayor of New York City from 1672 to 1673. He is the patriarch of the Nicoll family, which settled and owned much of Long Island, New York. Numerous place names on the ...

, who served as the 6th

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

from 1672 to 1673. His sister, Margaret Nicoll, was married to Col. Richard Floyd Jr., the colonel of provincial troops of Suffolk County and judge of the Court of Common Pleas and grandfather of

William Floyd William Floyd (December 17, 1734 – August 4, 1821) was an American Founding Father, wealthy farmer, and political leader from New York. Floyd served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and was a signer of the Continental Association and ...

. Nicoll came to America in 1664 with his father and

Richard Nicolls Richard Nicolls (sometimes written as Nichols, 1624 – 28 May 1672) was the first English colonial governor of New York province. Early life Nicolls was born in 1624 in Ampthill in Bedfordshire, England. He was the son of Francis Nicolls (1 ...

, the 1st Colonial governor of the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

. His father, Richard's secretary and reportedly also his nephew, was present for the

Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant (; in Dutch also ''Pieter'' and ''Petrus'' Stuyvesant, ; 1610 – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial officer who served as the last Dutch director-general of the colony of New Net ...

's surrender of Dutch

New Amsterdam New Amsterdam ( nl, Nieuw Amsterdam, or ) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''factory'' gave rise ...

to the English. William was educated by his father and studied law with him. When Edmund Andros returned to England in 1681 to receive a knighthood, William went with him, served in the English Army and saw active service in Flanders.

Career

After returning to America, Nicoll was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and was appointed Clerk of Queens County and in 1683, he became Register of the Court of Admiralty. On April 11, 1687, he was appointed Attorney General of the Province of New York. He held this office for only a year due to

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

annexation of New York to the

Dominion of New England The Dominion of New England in America (1686–1689) was an administrative union of English colonies covering New England and the Mid-Atlantic Colonies (except for Delaware Colony and the Province of Pennsylvania). Its political structure represe ...

on May 7, 1688. Nicoll was vehemently opposed the

Leisler Rebellion Leisler's Rebellion was an uprising in late-17th century colonial New York in which German American merchant and militia captain Jacob Leisler seized control of the southern portion of the colony and ruled it from 1689 to 1691. The uprising too ...

(May 1689 to March 1691) and refused to surrender his commission as

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, therefore,

Jacob Leisler Jacob Leisler ( – May 16, 1691) was a German-born colonist who served as a politician in the Province of New York. He gained wealth in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in the fur trade and tobacco business. In what became known as Leisler's ...

imprisoned him. Nicoll was jailed for 14 months until March 1691 when Governor

Henry Sloughter Henry Sloughter (died July 23, 1691) was briefly colonial governor of New York in 1691. Sloughter was the governor who put down Leisler's Rebellion, which had installed Jacob Leisler as ''de facto'' governor in 1689. He died suddenly in July 16 ...

arrived from New York and squashed the rebellion. Upon his release from prison, Nicoll was appointed to the Governor's Council and named King's Counsel during Leisler's Treason Trial. In 1695, the Assembly sent Nicoll and Chidley Brooke, a fellow Council member, to London to urge the

English government There has not been a government of England since 1707 when the Kingdom of England ceased to exist as a sovereign state, as it merged with the Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.St. Malo. He was eventually released and in 1701, he was elected as a member of the

New York General Assembly The General Assembly of New York, commonly known internationally as the New York General Assembly, and domestically simply as General Assembly, was the supreme legislative body of the Province of New York during its period of proprietal colonia ...

, representing Suffolk County, serving until his death in 1723. From October 20, 1702 until May 27, 1718, when he resigned due to ill health, he also served as the Speaker of the Assembly.

Personal life

On November 29, 1683, Governor

Thomas Dongan Thomas Dongan, (pronounced "Dungan") 2nd Earl of Limerick (1634 – 14 December 1715), was a member of the Irish Parliament, Royalist military officer during the English Civil War, and Governor of the Province of New York. He is noted for hav ...

granted Nicoll a royal patent of 50,000 acres on the Long Island. In later years, received further land grants and his manor became the largest on Long Island totaling . In 1701, he built a mansion on the

Great South Bay The Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is about long and has an average depth of 4 feet 3 inches and is 20 feet at its deepest. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire Is ...

in present-day

Islip, New York Islip ( ) is a town in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the south shore of Long Island. The population was 335,543 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous city or town in the state. The Town of Islip also contains a ...

in honor of his birthplace in England. In 1718, Nicoll sold his father's estate,

Plandome Manor Plandome Manor is a village in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The majority of the village is considered part of the Greater Manhasset area, which is anchored by Manhasset. The easternmost part of ...

, then over 1,000 acres. The manor house on his father's estate was torn down in 1998 by its new owner. Nicoll was married to Anna van Rensselaer (1665-1723). She was the widow of the patroon Kiliaen van Rensselaer, and the daughter of

Jeremias van Rensselaer Jeremias van Rensselaer (Amsterdam, 16 May 1632 – October 12, 1674) was the third son of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, one of the founders and directors of the Dutch West India Company who was instrumental in the establishment of New Netherland a ...

and Maria (

Van Cortlandt) Van Rensselaer. Among her large family were uncles

Stephanus Van Cortlandt Stephanus van Cortlandt (May 7, 1643 – November 25, 1700) was the first native-born mayor of New York City, a position which he held from 1677 to 1678 and from 1686 to 1688. He was the patroon of Van Cortlandt Manor and was on the governor's ...

and

Jacobus Van Cortlandt Jacobus van Cortlandt (1658–1739) was a wealthy Dutch-born American merchant, slave owner, and politician who served as the 30th and 33rd Mayor of New York City from 1710 to 1711 and again from 1719 to 1720. Early life Jacobus Van Cortland ...

, both of whom served as

mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially Mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property ...

. Together, William and Anna were the parents of: * Mary Nicoll (b. 1689), who married Scottish immigrant Robert Watts (1678–1750). * Benjamin Nicoll (1694–1724), who married his cousin, Charity Floyd (1692–1758). After his death, she married

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

and became the mother of

William Samuel Johnson William Samuel Johnson (October 7, 1727 – November 14, 1819) was an American Founding Father and statesman. Before the Revolutionary War, he served as a militia lieutenant before being relieved following his rejection of his election to the Fir ...

.Herbert and Carol Schneider, ''Samuel Johnson, President of King's College: His Career and Writings'',

Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...

, 4 vols., 1929. * Catherine Nicoll (1700–1779), who married Jonathan Havens. * William Nicoll Jr. (1702–1768), who was elected to the General Assembly in 1739 (until 1769), and served as its Speaker from January 31, 1759 until February 6, 1768. * Frances Nicoll (1704–1787), who married Edward Holland, the 40th mayor of New York City. Nicoll died at his home, the manor of Islip Grange, on November 20, 1723.

Descendants

As William Nicoll Jr. died unmarried and without issue, the Nicoll estate was inherited by William's grandson, William Nicoll III (d. 1778), the eldest son of Benjamin, who became the third family member to be elected to the General Assembly where he served from 1768 until 1769. Through his daughter Mary, he was the grandfather of John Watts, himself the father of

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

John Watts. Through his daughter Catherine, he was the grandfather of Nicoll Havens (1733–1783), who married Sarah Fosdick (1730–1767), parents of Yale graduate and

Jonathan Nicoll Havens.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicoll, William 1657 births 1723 deaths Members of the New York General Assembly Speakers of the New York General Assembly William 1657