Richard Dale Nichols (April 29, 1926 – March 7, 2019) was an American banker and politician who served one-term as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Kansas's 5th congressional district Kansas's 5th congressional district is an obsolete district for representation in the United States House of Representatives. It existed from 1885 to 1993. Geography The former district contained some of the southern suburbs of Wichita Wichi ...

Life and career

Born in

Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmaton ...

, Nichols attended the public schools. He earned his B.S. from

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public insti ...

in 1951, after serving as an ensign in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1944 to 1947. Nichols was informational counsel to the Kansas State Board of Agriculture, served as associate farm director of radio and television stations in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat ...

, and was agricultural representative of a bank in

Hutchinson, Kansas Hutchinson is the largest city and county seat in Reno County, Kansas, United States, and located on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch". As of the 2020 ce ...

. From 1969 until he resigned in 1990 after being elected to Congress, Nichols served as president and chairman of the board of Home State Bank in

McPherson, Kansas McPherson () is a city in and the county seat of McPherson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 14,082. The city is named after Union General James Birdseye McPherson, a Civil War general. It ...

. He served as a member of the Kansas State Republican Executive Committee, was a delegate to the 1988 Republican National Convention, and was the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

chair for the Fifth Congressional District from 1986 to 1990. In July 1986, Nichols and his wife were stabbed by an insane man aboard the

Staten Island Ferry The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry route operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. The ferry's single route runs through New York Harbor between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island, with ferr ...

while a touring

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. He fully recovered from his wounds and was visited by Mayor

Ed Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, film critic, and television personality. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayo ...

in the hospital. Nichols was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

to the

One Hundred Second Congress The 102nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1991 ...

(January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1993), representing

. He narrowly beat future

FDIC The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is one of two agencies that supply deposit insurance to depositors in American depository institutions, the other being the National Credit Union Administration, which regulates and insures cred ...

Chairwoman

Sheila Bair Sheila Colleen Bair (born April 3, 1954) is an American civil servant who was the 19th Chair of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), during which time she assumed a prominent role in the government's response to the 2008 financi ...

in a 6-way Republican primary. In the reapportionment following the 1990 Census, the size of Kansas' congressional delegation was reduced from 5 to 4, eliminating the 5th district. In 1992, Rep. Nichols ran for the Republican nomination to challenge

Dan Glickman Daniel Robert Glickman (born November 24, 1944) is an American politician, lawyer, lobbyist, and nonprofit leader. He served as the United States Secretary of Agriculture from 1995 until 2001, prior to which he represented as a Democrat in Co ...

in the 4th congressional district, but lost in the primary to state Senator Eric R. Yost, who lost to Glickman in the general election.

Personal life

Nichols married Connie Weinbrenner in 1951, and together had three children. Connie earned four degrees and was a professor at

McPherson College McPherson College is a private college associated with the Church of the Brethren and located in McPherson, Kansas. It was chartered in 1887 and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. History During their 1887 Annual Meeting, the Ch ...

before her death from cancer in 1994. Two years later, Nichols married his second wife, Linda. Dick Nichols died at his home in

on March 7, 2019 at the age of 92.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Richard 1926 births 2019 deaths American bankers People from Fort Scott, Kansas People from McPherson, Kansas Businesspeople from Kansas Military personnel from Kansas United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers Kansas State University alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas 20th-century American businesspeople