Harry Whinna Nice (December 5, 1877 – February 25, 1941) was an American politician and a member of the Republican Party who served as the 50th Governor of Maryland from 1935 to 1939.

Biography

Harry Nice was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland. He later attended

Baltimore City College Baltimore City College, known colloquially as City, City College, and B.C.C., is a college preparatory school with a classical liberal arts focus and selective admissions criteria located in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in October 1839, B.C.C ...

Dickinson College Dickinson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, ...

and graduated from the

University of Maryland School of Law The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law from 1924 to 2011) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1816, it i ...

in 1899. He was married to Edna Viola Amos in 1905, with whom he had two sons, Harry Jr, and William, who died in childhood. Nice served as assistant to the State's Attorney in Baltimore, but later resigned to run for the Republican nomination for governor of Maryland in 1919. He lost to Democrat Albert C. Ritchie by a narrow margin. Following the defeat, Nice accepted a position in the Appeals Tax Court of Baltimore City as a judge from 1920 until 1924. In 1934, running under the campaign motto of "Right the wrong of 1919", Nice again challenged Ritchie and defeated him by 6,149 votes. Nice rose to become governor during the national depression, which brought great financial hardships to the state budget. To help find a solution to the situation, Nice assigned a committee to investigate ways of alleviating the debt, but was not pleased with the recommendations of raising taxes. Neither he nor the

Maryland General Assembly The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives, and the lower ...

felt it would be wise to raise taxes at such a rate. Also as governor, Nice redesigned the governors' residence at

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

, changing the architectural style from

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

to Georgian. After losing the support of his party, Nice was defeated by Herbert R. O'Conor in 1938. He attempted to run for the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

in 1940, but was unsuccessful and resumed his law practice in Baltimore. He died on February 25, 1941, in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. He is buried in Greenmount Cemetery.

Building dedications

*The Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge connects Charles County, Maryland and King George County, Virginia, over the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

on U.S. Route 301.MdTA toll facilities: southern region: Nice Bridge
at www.mdta.state.md.us

References

*Harry W. Nice biography. December 9, 1998. Maryland State Archives. October 25, 2004

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nice, Harry Whinna 1877 births 1941 deaths Republican Party governors of Maryland University of Maryland, Baltimore alumni People from Washington, D.C. Baltimore City College alumni Methodists from Maryland Baltimore City Council members 20th-century Maryland politicians