Francis Nicholson (12 November 1655 5 March 1727 or 1728) was a British military officer and was colonial governor or acting governor of
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
,
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
,
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
,
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia is a Canadian province located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. Its capital, Halifax, is a major economic centre of the region. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of...
, and
South CarolinaSouth Carolina is a U.S. state that borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was...
.
Nicholson was born in the village of
DownholmeDownholme is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located about 4 miles west of Richmond. The village is almost on the border of the Yorkshire Dales....
, Yorkshire, England. He became a page for the Marquis of Winchester. In 1678 he was made an ensign and he fought in
FlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands...
. He rose to the rank of captain and became an assistant to Sir
Edmund AndrosSir Edmund Andros was an early colonial English governor in North America, and head of the short-lived Dominion of New England....
, governor of New England, with whom he sailed to the American colonies.
Nicholson served as lieutenant-governor of
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from 1687 to 1689 and as Governor from 1689 to 1690.
Francis Nicholson (12 November 1655 5 March 1727 or 1728) was a British military officer and was colonial governor or acting governor of
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
,
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
,
MarylandMaryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
,
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia is a Canadian province located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. Its capital, Halifax, is a major economic centre of the region. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of...
, and
South CarolinaSouth Carolina is a U.S. state that borders Georgia to the south and North Carolina to the north. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence from the British Crown during the American Revolution. The colony was...
.
Nicholson was born in the village of
DownholmeDownholme is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located about 4 miles west of Richmond. The village is almost on the border of the Yorkshire Dales....
, Yorkshire, England. He became a page for the Marquis of Winchester. In 1678 he was made an ensign and he fought in
FlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands...
. He rose to the rank of captain and became an assistant to Sir
Edmund AndrosSir Edmund Andros was an early colonial English governor in North America, and head of the short-lived Dominion of New England....
, governor of New England, with whom he sailed to the American colonies.
Nicholson served as lieutenant-governor of
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
from 1687 to 1689 and as Governor from 1689 to 1690. Nicholson then served as lieutenant-governor of
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
from 1690 to 1692. While in Virginia, he was instrumental in the creation of the
College of William and MaryThe College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
and named as one of its original trustees. He served as
governor of Maryland from 1694 to 1699, and played a leading role in moving the state capital from St. Mary's to Anne Arundel, which was renamed Annapolis in honor of then-
Princess AnneAnne became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702, succeeding her brother-in-law, William III of England and II of Scotland...
. Nicholson returned to Virginia in 1699 as governor, a position he held until 1705. During this term, Nicholson oversaw the transfer of Virginia's capital from
JamestownJamestown, located on Jamestown Island in the Virginia Colony, was founded on May 14, 1607. It is commonly regarded as the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States of America, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke. It was founded...
to
Middle PlantationMiddle Plantation in the Virginia Colony, was an unincorporated town originally established in 1632. It was located on high ground about half-way across the Virginia Peninsula between the James River and York River...
, which was renamed
WilliamsburgWilliamsburg is an independent city of Virginia located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads region in southeastern Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 11,998. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
.
During
Queen Anne's WarQueen Anne's War was the second in a series of four French and Indian Wars fought between France and England . in North America for control of the continent and was the counterpart of the War of the Spanish Succession in Europe...
, Nicholson was part of the military force that lost Nova Scotia to the French. He placed the blame on his commander,
Samuel VetchSamuel Vetch was an Scottish soldier and former colonial governor of Nova Scotia....
, and petitioned Queen
Anne of Great BritainAnne became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702, succeeding her brother-in-law, William III of England and II of Scotland...
to have him lead an expedition to recapture the lost colony. Nicholson succeeded, leading the forces that captured
Port Royal, Nova ScotiaPort Royal is a small rural community in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, near the town of Annapolis Royal...
on October 2, 1710. Nicholson published an account of the expedition in his 1711 "Journal of an Expedition for the Reduction of Port Royal." The victorious Nicholson returned to
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, taking five
IroquoisThe Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an indigenous people of North America. In the 16th century or earlier, the Iroquois came together in an association known as the Iroquois League, or the "League of Peace and Power"...
chiefs with him, to petition Queen Anne to approve an expedition to capture
New FranceNew France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period extending from the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River, by Jacques Cartier in 1534, to the cession of New France to Spain and Britain in 1763...
. The
resulting naval expeditionThe Walker Expedition to Quebec was a British attempt to attack Quebec in 1711 during the North American theatre of the War of Spanish Succession, that failed because of a shipping disaster on the Saint Lawrence River, when seven transport- and one storeship were wrecked and some 850 soldiers drowned...
was led by Admiral
Hovenden WalkerSir Hovenden Walker was a British naval officer noted for having led an abortive 1711 expedition against Quebec City, then the capital of New France....
. Nicholson led an associated land expedition against Quebec. When news arrived of Walker's failure, Nicholson called off his land expedition.
Nicholson was appointed governor of
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia is a Canadian province located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. Its capital, Halifax, is a major economic centre of the region. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of...
and
PlacentiaPlacentia may refer to:* Palace of Placentia, an English Royal Palace* Placentia, California, United States* Placentia, Italy* Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada* Battle of Placentia* Placentia Bay-See also:* Placencia, Belize...
as well as auditor of colonial accounts, serving from October 12, 1712 through August, 1717. Having been knighted in 1720, Nicholson next served as the governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725 when he returned to England.
In England, Nicholson was promoted to lieutenant-general. He lobbied for a proposal that the colonies be united in order to provide for their common defense, mainly from the French and Indians. He thought the colonies should be united under a single viceroy and share a standing army. The plan was recommended to the legislatures of the colonies. Virginia opposed the measure.
Nicholson died in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
on March 5, 1728, and was buried in the parish of St George, Hanover Square.