William Edison Nichol (March 12, 1918 – November 29, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 33rd

lieutenant governor of Nebraska The lieutenant governor of Nebraska is the highest-ranking executive official in the State of Nebraska after the Governor of Nebraska, governor. According to the Constitution of Nebraska, Nebraska State Constitution, in the event a governor dies, ...

from 1987 to 1991. Nichol was born in

Windsor, Colorado Windsor is a home rule municipality in Larimer and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 32,716. Windsor is located in the Northern Colorado region. History In 1873, a settl ...

in 1918. He went to high school in the Scottsbluff Public Schools system, graduating in 1935, and graduated from

Nebraska Wesleyan University Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) is a private Methodist-affiliated university in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was founded in 1887 by Nebraska Methodists. As of 2017, it has approximately 2,100 students including 1,500 full-time students and 300 ...

in 1940. He married his wife Ruth in 1941. His political career began with local positions, as a county commissioner for Scotts Bluff County (1967–75), and as a city councilperson and mayor of Scottsbluff. He was first elected to the

Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the small ...

in 1974, replacing longtime representative

Terry Carpenter Terry McGovern Carpenter (March 28, 1900 – April 27, 1978) was an American politician.Nebraska Legislature, The Official Site of the Nebraska Unicameral Legislature: ''Sen. Terry Carpenter'', http://nebraskalegislature.gov/education/carpenter.p ...

.William E. Nichol - District 48
''Nebraska Blue Book'' (1980-81) He later served as speaker of the legislature.(31 December 1993)
Lawmakers Ponder New Leader
''McCook Daily Gazette''Howard, Ed (1 December 2006)
Bill Nichol Had A Role In Unicameral History
''Nebraska StatePaper.com'' In 1987, Nichol was elected lieutenant governor, and

Kay A. Orr Kay Avonne Orr (née Stark; January 2, 1939) is an American politician who served as the 36th governor of Nebraska from 1987 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, she was the state's first and to date only female governor. Early life and e ...

won as governor. He decided not to seek reelection in 1991. Nichol died in Scottsbluff on November 29, 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichol, William E. 1918 births 2006 deaths County supervisors and commissioners in Nebraska Lieutenant Governors of Nebraska Mayors of places in Nebraska Nebraska city council members Republican Party Nebraska state senators Speakers of the Nebraska Legislature Nebraska Wesleyan University alumni 20th-century American politicians People from Windsor, Colorado People from Scottsbluff, Nebraska