Robert Carter Nicholas (January 10, 1787 – December 24, 1856) was a United States senator from Louisiana. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, and also served as Secretary of State of Louisiana and Louisiana's Superintendent of Education.
Robert Carter Nicholas | |
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United States Senator from Louisiana | |
In office January 13, 1836 – March 3, 1841 | |
Preceded by | George A. Waggaman |
Succeeded by | Alexander Barrow |
Secretary of State of Louisiana | |
In office 1845–1845 | |
Governor | Alexandre Mouton |
Preceded by | Levi Pierce |
Succeeded by | Zenon Ledoux, Jr. |
Louisiana Superintendent of Education | |
In office 1849–1853 | |
Preceded by | Alexander Dimitry |
Succeeded by | John N. Carrigan |
Personal details | |
Born | Hanover, Virginia | January 10, 1787
Died | December 24, 1856 Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana | (aged 69)
Political party | Democratic |
Born in Hanover, Virginia, on January 10, 1787, he was the son of Revolutionary war veteran and politician George Nicholas (1754–1799) and his wife Mary (Smith) Nicholas (d. 1806).[1] and the grandson of Robert Carter Nicholas (1728–1780).[2], and named for his late grandfather Robert Carter Nicholas, Sr.[3] In 1816 and 1817 Nicholas attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.[4][5]
Nicholas joined the United States Army in 1808, receiving a commission as a Captain in the 7th Infantry Regiment.[6] Nicholas was promoted to major in 3rd Infantry Regiment in 1810[7] and became Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st Infantry Regiment in 1812.[8] He served with his regiment in the War of 1812, including combat at the Battle of Chippewa.[9] After serving with the 30th Infantry, in 1814 he was promoted to colonel, and he commanded the 8th Infantry Regiment until resigning his commission in 1819.[10][11]
After his military service, Nicholas relocated to Kentucky, and in 1821 received an appointment as U.S. Indian Agent to the Chickasaw Nation.[12]
Nicholas later moved to Louisiana, where he owned a sugarcane plantation in Terrebonne Parish while residing in St. James Parish.[13] He operated that plantation using enslaved labor. In the last federal census in his lifetime, Nicholas owned 236 enslaved people.[14]
Nicholas was elected as a Jacksonian (later a Democrat) to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator-elect Charles E.A. Gayarre, and served from January 13, 1836, to March 3, 1841.[15]
He was Secretary of State of Louisiana in 1845.[16] From 1849 to 1853 he was Louisiana's Superintendent of Education.[17][18]
Nicholas died in Terrebonne Parish on December 24, 1856.[19]
He married Susan Adelaide Vinson, and their children included a daughter, Mary. Mary Nicholas was the wife of Frederick George Burthe.[20]
Nicholas was a nephew of John Nicholas, a U.S. Representative from Virginia and Wilson Cary Nicholas, a Senator from Virginia.[21]
robert c. nicholas 12th infantry.