Donald William Nicholson (August 11, 1888 – February 16, 1968) was an American politician from the state of
Massachusetts
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.
Early life
Born in
Wareham, Massachusetts
Wareham ( ) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 23,303.
History
Wareham was first settled in 1678 by Europeans as part of the towns of Plymouth and Rochester. It was ...
, Nicholson attended the public schools and took college extension courses. He first worked as a salesman before serving in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
from 1917 to 1919. He served in the 236th Prisoner of War Escort Company
Army Service Corps and rose to the rank of sergeant.
Career
Returning to Massachusetts, he entered politics and served as selectman, assessor, and overseer of the poor in Wareham from 1920 to 1925. He served as a delegate to all Republican state conventions from 1924 to 1947; served in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...
in 1925 and 1926; as a member of the
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...
from 1926 to 1947, and as
president of the state senate in 1946 and 1947. He was elected as a Republican to the Eightieth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative
Charles L. Gifford, and reelected to the five succeeding Congresses (November 18, 1947 – January 3, 1959). Nicholson voted in favor of the
Civil Rights Act of 1957.
Personal life
Nicholson retired to his home in Wareham, remaining there until his death on February 16, 1968; he is buried in Center Cemetery.
In 1964 a bridge in Wareham was named after Nicholson.
1964 Chap. 0107. An Act Designating The Narrow Bridge, So Called, In The Town Of Wareham As The Donald W. Nicholson Bridge
'. State Library of Massachusetts.
See also
* Massachusetts legislature:
1925–1926,
1927–1928,
1929–1930,
1931–1932,
1933–1934,
1935–1936,
1937–1938,
1939,
1941–1942,
1943–1944,
1945–1946,
1947–1948
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Donald Wayne
1888 births
1968 deaths
United States Army personnel of World War I
Burials in Massachusetts
Republican Party Massachusetts state senators
Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
People from Wareham, Massachusetts
Presidents of the Massachusetts Senate
United States Army non-commissioned officers
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
20th-century American politicians