Robert James Nicholson (born February 4, 1938) is an attorney,

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re- lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to othe ...

, and a former

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in ...

chairman. He was the

United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs The United States secretary of veterans affairs is the head of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, the department concerned with veterans' benefits, health care, and national veterans' memorials and cemeteries. The secretary is a me ...

from January 26, 2005, until October 1, 2007.

Personal life

Nicholson was born on a farm near

Struble, Iowa Struble is a city in Plymouth County, Iowa, United States, along the West Branch of the Floyd River. The population was 67 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography Struble is located in Elgin Township, some seven miles north of LeMars, at ( ...

. Nicholson has characterized his childhood as "growing up dirt poor in a tenant house without plumbing and sometimes without food".Official transcript of Nicholson's nomination
whitehouse.gov; Accessed March 13, 2007. He is the brother of retired Army General

John W. Nicholson John William "Jack" Nicholson Sr. (born February 22, 1934) is an Americans, American retired Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General of the United States Army who was appointed secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission ( ...

. Nicholson has a

Master's degree in Public Policy The Master of Public Policy (MPP), is one of several public policy degrees. An MPP is a master's-level professional degree that provides training in policy analysis and program evaluation at public policy schools. The MPP program places a focus o ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. He received a J.D. degree from the

University of Denver College of Law The Sturm College of Law ("Denver Law") is the professional graduate law school of the University of Denver. It is one of two law schools in the state of Colorado. Founded in 1892, the Sturm College of Law was one of the first in America's Mounta ...

in 1972. Nicholson is married to the former Suzanne Marie Ferrell of

Highland Falls, New York Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,900 at the 2010 census. The village was founded in 1906. It is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middleto ...

, who is an accomplished artist. They are the parents of three children.

Military service

He is a 1961 graduate of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

, and served eight years in active duty. He was a

paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...

and Ranger-qualified Army officer. He fought in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, where he earned the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. W ...

Combat Infantryman Badge The Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) is a United States Army military decoration. The badge is awarded to infantrymen and Special Forces soldiers in the rank of colonel and below, who fought in active ground combat while assigned as members of e ...

, the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

with Oak Leaf Cluster,

Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry The Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross also known as the Vietnamese Gallantry Cross or Vietnam Cross of Gallantry ( vi, Anh-Dũng Bội-Tinh) is a military decoration of the former Government of South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam). The medal w ...

and two

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

s. After thirty years of military service he retired in 1991 with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

. In 2005, he was awarded the Distinguished Graduate Award by the USMA.

Legal and business career

Nicholson practiced law in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Colorado, specializing in real estate, municipal finance and

zoning law Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

. In 1978 he founded Nicholson Enterprises, Inc., a developer of planned residential communities, and in 1987 he bought Renaissance Homes, a custom-home builder. Nicholson is senior counsel with

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP is a lobbying and law firm based in the United States with 250 attorneys and policy consultants in 13 offices across the western U.S. and in Washington, D.C. History The firm was founded in 1968 by Norman Bro ...

LLP. His practice includes public policy, health care, state and federal regulatory law, international relations, real estate, oil and gas, and alternative energy. Nicholson is the chairman of

Daniels Fund The Daniels Fund is a private charitable foundation based in Denver, Colorado. It was founded by Bill Daniels, a decorated fighter pilot in World War II and the Korean War, who went on to become one of the early pioneers of the cable television i ...

, a private foundation valued at $1.5B. He was chairman of the Federal Interagency Council on Homelessness, chairman of the Board of Open World Foundation, chairman of Volunteers of America of Colorado, and co-chairman of the Advisory Board of the Catholic Leadership Institute. He served as a director of New Day USA Residential Mortgage, LLC; Federated Mutual Funds; the

Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that was founded in 1947 to honor the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded in spite of adversity and to emphas ...

; St. Mary Land and Exploration Company; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado; Community Corrections Corporation; ITN Energy Systems, Inc.; and Lerch, Bates and Associates, Inc. He was a fellow of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Nicholson has been honored with Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from

Regis University Regis University is a private Jesuit university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1877 by the Society of Jesus, the university offers more than 120 degrees through 5 colleges in a variety of subjects, including education, liberal arts, business, nu ...

; the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a private Catholic university in Irving, Texas. Established in 1956, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The university comprises four academic units: the Braniff Graduate School ...

, TX; John Cabot University, Rome; Ave Maria School of Law, Ann Arbor, MI; King's College, Wilkes Barre, PA;

; and the University of Rome, Italy. He gave the Commencement Address for the universities listed above, as well as the

US Merchant Marine Academy The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Kings Point) is a United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) to serve as officers in the United States Merchant ...

. Additionally, he was recognized for by the Volunteers of America Ballington and Maude Booth Award for Public Service; President's Medal for Public Service,

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789 as Georgetown College, the university has grown to comprise eleven undergraduate and graduate ...

; Builder Hall of Fame by the

National Association of Homebuilders The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is one of the largest trade associations in the United States, representing the interests of home builders, developers, contractors, and associated businesses. NAHB is headquartered in Washington, ...

; the Beckett Fund "Canterbury Medal"; Annual "Top Irish American Award" by Irish American Magazine; and Military Chaplains Association 2007 Citizenship Award.

Political career

Nicholson has never held elected office, but has long been active in the Republican Party. In January 1986, he was elected committeeman from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

for the

(RNC). In 1993, he was elected Vice-Chairman of the RNC, and was the "surprise pick"Coloradan Nicholson to lead Veterans Affairs
, a December 2004 ''

Denver Post ''The Denver Post'' is a daily newspaper and website published in Denver, Colorado. As of June 2022, it has an average print circulation of 57,265. In 2016, its website received roughly six million monthly unique visitors generating more than 1 ...

'' article for GOP national chairman in January 1997. He served in that role through the 2000 presidential election. Between 2001 and 2005, Nicholson served as United States Ambassador to the Holy See ( the Vatican). In 2003,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

knighted him with the Grand Cross for his leadership on human rights issues and standing for religious freedom.

Order of Pius IX The Order of Pope Pius IX ( it, Ordine di Pio IX), also referred as the Pian Order ( it, Ordine Piano), is a papal order of knighthood originally founded by Pope Pius IV in 1560. Currently, it is the highest honor conferred by the Holy See (bein ...

. In 2016, according to a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) Short Form Registration Statement Foreign Agents Registration Act Short Form Registration Statement
/ref> dated October 21, 2016, Nicholson began working as “Senior Counsel” for the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The enti ...

for the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Arab ...

. Working with other foreign agents hired by the lobbying firm of Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber, & Schreck, Nicholson's primary duties include facilitating & attending meetings with U.S. federal government officials on behalf of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

References

External links

Official biography
from the Department of Veterans Affairs website

VIP Speakers Bureau, Jim Nicholson *

Former Vatican Ambassador Nicholson sees wisdom of Holy Spirit in election of Pope Francis , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Jim 1938 births Living people 21st-century American diplomats 21st-century American politicians Ambassadors of the United States to the Holy See United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War American real estate businesspeople Colorado lawyers George W. Bush administration cabinet members Iowa Republicans Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX People from Plymouth County, Iowa Recipients of the Air Medal Republican National Committee chairs School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University alumni Sturm College of Law alumni United States Army colonels United States Deputy Secretaries of Veterans Affairs United States Military Academy alumni United States Secretaries of Veterans Affairs