Hugh L. Nichols Explained

Hugh Llewellyn Nichols
Order:32nd
Office:Lieutenant Governor of Ohio
Term Start:March 1, 1911
Term End:January 13, 1913
Governor:Judson Harmon
Preceded:Atlee Pomerene
Succeeded:W. A. Greenlund
Office2:Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
Term Start2:September 22, 1913
Term End2:December 31, 1920
Appointer2:James M. Cox
Succeeded2:Carrington T. Marshall
State Senate3:Ohio
District3:2nd & 4th
Term Start3:January 3, 1898
Term End3:December 31, 1899
Predecessor3:Lee A. Tissander
Successor3:Emmons B. Stivers, W. F. Roudebush
Birth Date:25 March 1865
Birth Place:New Richmond, Ohio
Death Place:Cincinnati, Ohio
Restingplace:Batavia Union Cemetery, Batavia, Ohio
Party:Democratic
Spouse:Louisa Dean Sterling

Hugh Llewellyn Nichols (March 25, 1865 – December 29, 1942)[1] [2] was an American politician who served as the 32nd lieutenant governor of Ohio from 1911 to 1913 and Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Ohio 1913 to 1920.[3]

Biography

Hugh L. Nichols was born March 25, 1865, at New Richmond, Clermont County, Ohio to parents Perry Jackson and Jeannette Gilmore Nichols. He was educated in the public schools of Batavia, Ohio, and at the Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity and the Cincinnati Law School. He was admitted to the bar in 1886.[4]

In 1887 Nichols married to Louise Dean Stirling of Batavia, Ohio.[4]

In the Autumn of 1897, Nichols was elected to the Ohio State Senate to represent the 2nd and 4th Districts, (Butler, Warren, Clermont, and Brown County, Ohio), for the 73rd General Assembly, 1898–1899.[5] In the 1898 election, he was nominated by the Democrats for a seat on the Ohio Supreme Court, but lost to Republican William T. Spear. He was a delegate to the 1900 Democratic National Convention and was Chairman of the Democratic State Executive Committee, where he managed the successful campaign of Governor Harmon.[4]

In 1911, Lieutenant Governor Atlee Pomerene was elected to the United States Senate and resigned. Governor Harmon appointed Nichols to fill the vacancy, and he was re-elected in 1912.[4]

Nichols was appointed on September 22, 1913, to the new position of Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court by Governor James Cox, and elected to a full six-year term in 1914, serving until the end of 1920. He lost re-election in 1920.[6]

After defeat in 1920, Nichols founded the Cincinnati firm Nichols, Wood, Marx and Ginter, where he was senior partner until his death.[6]

In 1922, Nichols was appointed chairman of the U. S. Grant Memorial Centenary Association, which directed the restoration of the Grant Birthplace in Point Pleasant, Ohio, and directed the state to acquire it.[6]

On October 19, 1942, Nichols was admitted to Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati with a fractured vertebra. He died there of a coronary thrombosis on December 29, 1942, and was buried in Batavia Union Cemetery. He had an adopted daughter, Amy House Nichols, who preceded him in death.

Nichols was a Presbyterian.[7]

Notes and References

  1. The Americana annual: an encyclopedia of current events. McDannald, A.H.. The Americana Annual: An Encyclopedia of the Events of 1981. 1943. Americana corporation. 0196-0180. 2015-05-12.
  2. Book: Ohio Legislative History: 1909-1912. 1912. 1. F.J. Heer Printing. 2015-05-12.
  3. Web site: Lieutenant Governors Of The State Of Ohio: 1852 - Present . . 2012-01-24 . 2018-10-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181005194816/https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/election-results-and-data/historical-election-comparisons/lieutenant-governors-of-the-state-of-ohio-1852-present/ . dead .
  4. Book: Mercer, James K. . Ohio Legislative History: 1909-1913 . 1913 . Edward T Miller . Columbus . 315 .
  5. Book: Ohio General Assembly . Manual of legislative practice in the General Assembly . Ohio General Assembly . 249 . 1917 . State of Ohio .
  6. Web site: Hugh L. Nichols. The Supreme Court of Ohio and The Ohio Judicial System .
  7. Book: William, Byron . History of Clermont and Brown Counties, Ohio: Biographical . Hobart Publishing Company . 1913 . Milford, Ohio . 220–222 .