Rear Admiral James William Augustus Nicholson (10 March 1821 – 28 October 1887) was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Life and naval career

The son of Nathaniel Nicholson and grandson of Samuel Nicholson, he was born in

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a New England town, town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. First settled by E ...

. Nicholson entered the Navy as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

in February 1838. As a Lieutenant, he served in ''Vandalia'' in Commodore

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a United States Navy officer who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War. He led the Perry Expedition that Bakumatsu, ended Japan' ...

Opening of Japan ] The Perry Expedition (, , "Arrival of the Black Ships") was a diplomatic and military expedition in two separate voyages (1852–1853 and 1854–1855) to the Tokugawa shogunate () by warships of the United States Navy. The goals of this expedit ...

from 1853 to 1855. During the Civil War he served in and , and commanded the , , , and . In 1861, under the command of

Percival Drayton Percival Drayton (August 25, 1812 – August 4, 1865) was a career United States Navy officer. He served in the Brazil Squadron, the Mediterranean Squadron and as a staff officer during the Paraguay Expedition. During the American Civil War, h ...

in activities near Charleston, he was made supervisor of a colony of over 100 former slaves on Otter Island in December 1861.Tomblin, Barbara
Bluejackets and Contrabands: African Americans and the Union Navy
University Press of Kentucky, 2009. – via Project MUSE p. 66–68 He commanded the

New York Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

during 1876 to 1880. As Commodore from August 1873, and Rear Admiral from October 1881, he commanded the

European Squadron The European Squadron, also known as the European Station, was a part of the United States Navy in the late 19th century and the early 1900s. The squadron was originally named the Mediterranean Squadron (United States), Mediterranean Squadron and ...

from 16 September 1881 to February 1883. When the British bombarded

Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

, in 1882, he rescued the records of the American Consulate and took American and other refugees aboard his

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of navy, naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically ...

, . Commendation from the Navy Department and awards of gratitude from European governments followed. Nicholson retired on 10 March 1883 and died at his home in New York on 28 October 1887.

Namesakes

The ships named were named for him and four male relatives in the naval service.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, James William A 1821 births 1887 deaths United States Navy admirals Military personnel from Dedham, Massachusetts People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War