Robert Lee Nichols (born November 25, 1944) is an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

who represents the 3rd District of the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per co ...

. A

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, he was the Senate President Pro Tempore of the 85th legislative session.

Early years

Nichols graduated in 1968 from

Lamar University Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the fall of 2021, t ...

in Beaumont, Texas, with a degree in industrial engineering. He had a career as a small businessman before being elected

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 ...

Jacksonville, Texas Jacksonville is a city located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,997 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Cherokee County, and p ...

, and served as mayor 1985-1989.

Public service

During his tenure as mayor, Nichols streamlined the city government and helped to cut

property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inhe ...

rates. His service as Mayor eventually convinced then-Governor of Texas

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to appoint him to a six-year term on the Texas Transportation Commission in 1997. Nichols was appointed again in 2003 by former Texas Governor Rick Perry, and continued to serve until he resigned to prepare for a bid for the Texas Senate.

2006 and 2018 elections

Nichols faced stiff competition in 2006 from Republicans Bob Reeves of

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

; David Kleimann of Willis; and Frank Denton of Conroe in the Republican primary. Nichols secured a 54% win, thus avoiding a runoff. Nichols' primary win was tantamount to winning the general election, as he did not have a Democratic candidate run against him in 2006. In the general election of November 6, 2018, Nichols defeated the Democrat, Shirley Layton, and the

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nominee, Bruce Quarels. Nichols received 214,756 votes (78.3 percent) to Layton's 56,274 (20.5 percent) and Quarles' 3,280 (1.2 percent).

Service outside the Texas Senate

Nichols served as a board member of the now defunct

Lon Morris College Lon Morris College (LMC) was a private junior college located in Jacksonville, Texas, United States, and was the only school affiliated with the United Methodist Church that was owned by an individual conference and not the denomination ...

in Jacksonville, Texas; the now defunct East Texas Medical Center (now University of Texas Health System, East Texas) and the Nan Travis Hospital Foundation, as chairman of the Jacksonville Economic Development Corporation.

Personal life

Nichols is wed to his high school sweetheart, Donna; they are parents of three children. Nichols is also the son of the co-founder of Nichols Industries, Inc., Talley Nichols, which was one of the largest manufacturers of toy cap guns in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Nichols is a member of First

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

Church in Jacksonville.

Electoral history

2006

References

External links

Senate of Texas - Senator Robert NicholsProject Vote Smart - Senator Robert Nichols (TX)
profile
2006
''Follow the Money'' - campaign contributions , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Robert 1944 births 21st-century American politicians Lamar University alumni Living people Mayors of places in Texas People from Jacksonville, Texas Republican Party Texas state senators Presidents pro tempore of the Texas Senate