William Nichol (1800-1878) was an American banker, Whig politician and planter. He served as the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, from 1835 to 1837.

Early life

He was born on February 12, 1800, in

Abingdon, Virginia Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, United States, southwest of Roanoke. The population was 8,376 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. The town encompasses several historically significant sites and f ...

.Friends of Metropolitan Archives of Nashville and Davidson County, TN
/ref>William S. Speer, ''Sketches of Prominent Tennesseans: Biographies and Records of Many of the Families Who Have Attained Prominence in Tennessee'', Genealogical Publishing Com, 2010, pp. 277-27

/ref>James A. Hoobler, ''A Guide to Historic Nashville, Tennessee'', The History Press, 2008, p. 2

/ref> His father was Josiah Nichol, an immigrant from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and his mother, Eleanor (Ryburn) Nichol. They moved to Nashville when he was still a young boy.

Career

He served as the first President of the Bank of Tennessee. From 1835 to 1837, he served as Mayor of Nashville.Nashville Library
/ref> Later, he was a planter in

Davidson County, Tennessee Davidson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 715,884, making it the second most populous county in Tennessee. Its county seat is Nashville ...

and

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

Personal life

He married Julia Margaret Lytle on 6 October 1825. His father-in-law, William Lytle, was a wealthy landowner who had served as Captain in 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 ...

. They had four sons, Josiah II, William Lytle, Charles Alexander James Edgar and Harry D., and six daughters, Eleanor Ryburn, Margaret, Ann Lytle, Julia, Jane F. and Lizzie B. Nichol. They resided at Belair, a historic mansion in Nashville from 1835 to his death.

Death

He died on November 23, 1878, and he is buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery. His wife died in 1890.

Legacy

His granddaughter (Harry's daughter), Julia Nichol Sharpe (1875-1931), was married to William Percy Sharpe, who served as Mayor of Nashville from 1922 to 1924.Mrs. Percy Sharpe's Funeral Held Today
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichol, William 1800 births 1878 deaths American people of Irish descent Politicians from Abingdon, Virginia Tennessee Whigs 19th-century American politicians Mayors of Nashville, Tennessee American bankers American planters Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)