Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/86

 NICHOLS

NICHOLSON

of Bishops in 1886. He declined the election as bishop coadjutor of Ohio in 18S8; was a deputy to the General convention from the diocese of Pennsylvania in 1889; was elected bishop coad- jutor of California with full charge in 1S90. and was consecrated in St. James" church, Philai](_'l- phia, June 24, 1890, by Bishops Williams (Con- necticut), Quintard, Neely, Littlejohn, Whita- ker, Niles, Adams, Scarborough, Whitehead and H. C. Potter, Upon the death of Bishop Kip, April 6, 1893, he became the second bishop of the diocese. He founded and became dean of the CImrch Divinity School of the Pacific at San Mateo, Cal. On the organization of the domestic missionary district of Honolulu, Bishop Nichols was sent by the presiding bishop to act in his be- half in assuming jurisdiction and receiving the transfer of property from the Anglican bishop of the diocese of Honolulu, the Rt. Rev. Alfred Willis. D.D. On April 1, 1902, so commissioned by the presiding bisliop, he assumed such juris- diction and was relieved of the charge by Bisliop Restarick after the consecration of the latter, July 2. 1902. The honorary degree of D.D. was con- ferred on him by Kenyon and Trinity in 1888. He is the author of: On the Trial of Your Faith (1895).

NICHOLS, Williani Ripley, chemist, was born in Boston, Mass., April oO. 1N47: son of Charles Carter and Betsey Foster Morton (Ripley) Nichols; grandson of Col. Israel and Esther (Gowing) Nichols, and of William Putnam and Elizabeth Foster (Morton) Ripley, and a descen- dant of George Morton, whocameover in the brig Ann, 1624, and of Elder Brewster, of the May- floiver. He attended the Roxbury Latin school; studied abroad, 18G:3-65; was graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1869, was instructor and assistant professor of chem- istry there, 1869-72, and professor of general chemistry, 1872-86. He was an authority on chemistry as applied to sanitation; was a mem- ber of the German Ciiemical society; the London Society of Chemical Industry; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the New York Academy of Science, and various other scientific associations and societies of art and industry, and was vice-president of the section of chemistry of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1885. He compiled a record of the Publication of the OJJlcern, Stwlents and Alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and with the co-operation of the authors prepared an abridgment of Eliot and Storer's Manual of Cficmistry; and by similar help revised Eliot and Storer's Compendious Manual of Qualitative Analysis (1872;. He is the author of: Water Supply mainly from a Chemical and Sanitai-y Standpoint (1883) with Lewis M. Morton; Experi-

ments in General Chemistry (1884), and a Dic- tionary of Chemical Synonyms. He died in Ham- burg. Germany, July 14, 1886.

NICHOLSON, Alfred Osborn Pope, senator, was born in Williamson county, Tenn., Aug. 31, 1801. He was graduated from the L^niversity of North Carolina in 1827; studied medicine, but re- linquished it for law: was admitted to the bar in 1831, and practised at Columbia, Tenn. He edited the Western Mercury at Columbia, 1832- 35; was a representative in the state legislature 1833-39; succeeded Felix Grundy, deceased, as U.S. senator bj- appointment, sei-ving in the 20111 and 27th congresses, 1841-43; was editor of the yashi'ille Union, 1844-46; chancellor of the middle division of the state, 1845-51; president of the Bank of Tennessee, 1846-47; member of the Nashville convention of 1850; of the Democratic national convention of 1852, and in 1853 refused a cabinet position. He was printer of the U.S. house of representatives, 1853-55, and of the U.S. senate, 185.5-57. He was a member of the Demo- cratic national convention, 1852. and edited the Washington Union, 1853-56. He was elected to the U.S. senate for a full term in 1857 and served until March 3, 1861. He was at Columbia, Tenn., during the war, and was twice arrested and im- prisoned by the Federal authorities. He was a member of the convention to revise the constitu- tion of the state of Tennessee in. 1870, and was chief justice of the snpi-eme court of Tennessee, 1870-76. He is the author of: Comjnlation (f Lares of Tennessee; Xicholson Letter (ISiS). He died at Columbia, Tenn., March 23, 1876.

NICHOLSON, Eliza Jane, journalist, was born on a plantation on Pearl river. Miss., March 11, 1849; daughter of Capt. John W, Poitevant. Her father was of French Huguenot descent and her maternal ancestors were from South Carolina. She early contributed poems and stories to the New York and New Orleans papers, under the pen name " Pearl Rivers."' She became literary editor of the New Orleans Picayune in 1874 and was the pioneer woman journalist of the south. She was married to Col. A. H. HoUirook, the pro- prietor of the Picayune, and became conversant with all the details of journalism, and upon his death in 1876 assumed entire cliarge of his affairs, paid off a debt of .$•80,000 erected a large publishing house and owned the entire land building and plant. She was married secondly in 1878 to George Nicholson, the business manager of the Picayune, who had been her chief adviser after her husband's death, and she retained en- tire editorial control of the Picayune, while Mr. Nicholson became financial manager. Her poems were published as Lyrics by Pearl Rivers. Mr. Nicliolson died in New Orleans, La., in Febru- ary, 1896, and Mrs. Nicholson, Feb. 15, 1896.