| William Flynt Nichols | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Member of the United States House of Representatives | In office January 3, 1973 – December 13, 1988 | ||
| Preceded by | Elizabeth B. Andrews | ||
| Succeeded by | Glen Browder | ||
| Member of the United States House of Representatives | In office January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1973 | ||
| Preceded by | Glenn Andrews | ||
| Succeeded by | Tom Bevill | ||
| Member of the Alabama State Senate | |||
In office November 7, 1962 – November 9, 1966 [1] | |||
| Member of the Alabama House of Representatives | |||
In office November 5, 1958 – November 7, 1962 [2] | |||
| Personal details | |||
| Born | October 16, 1918 Monroe County, Mississippi | ||
| Died | December 13, 1988 (aged 70) Washington, D.C. | ||
| Political party | Democratic | ||
| Spouse(s) | Maude Carolyn Funderburk | ||
| Children | 3 | ||
| Alma mater | Auburn University | ||
William Flynt Nichols (October 16, 1918 – December 13, 1988) was a Democratic member of United States House of Representatives from Alabama, having served from 1967 until his death from a heart attack in Washington, D.C. in 1988.
Life[]
Nichols was born on October 16, 1918. On January 30, 1942, Nichols married Maude Carolyn Funderburk. He was a Methodist, having served on the Board of Stewards of Sylacauga's First Methodist Church.[3]
Nichols died of a heart attack on December 13, 1988.
Education[]
Nichols received a bachelor's degree in Agriculture in 1939 from the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) and a master's degree in Agronomy from the same institution in 1941.
Military service[]
Nichols enlisted in the United States Army in 1942 and served five years in the European Theatre. He was wounded at the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, losing a leg in a land mine explosion. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart, and retired with the rank of Captain in 1947.[4] Following his retirement, he lived in Sylacauga, Alabama, where he is also buried.
Business career[]
After military service, Nichols was employed by the Parker Fertilizer Company, and would later become president of the associated Parker Gin Company.[3]
Politics[]
Service in the Alabama Legislature[]
Prior to his congressional service, he served over an eight-year period in both houses of the Alabama Legislature, having been elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1958 and the Alabama Senate in 1962.
Congressional service[]
A strong supporter of Alabama's George Wallace, Nichols unseated freshman Republican U.S. Representative Arthur Glenn Andrews in the 1966 general election, while Wallace's wife, Lurleen Burns Wallace was handily winning the governorship.
Nichols defeated Andrews again in 1970. He was elected to eleven terms.
In 1986, with retiring Republican U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, Nichols co-authored the Goldwater-Nichols Act, the far-reaching reorganization of the United States Department of Defense command structure. Glenn Andrews initially won the Alabama House seat that Nichols held for nearly a generation while Andrews was running on the 1964 Goldwater-Miller presidential ticket.
References[]
- ↑ "Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1963 (Chapter 4, Page 17)". http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/compoundobject/collection/register/id/593. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ↑ "Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1959 (Chapter 4, Page 58)". http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/compoundobject/collection/register/id/671. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Schmidt, Greg. "William Flynt Nichols". http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3527.
- ↑ "Rep. Bill Nichols, 70; Led Pentagon Inquiry". New York Times. December 14, 1988. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/14/obituaries/rep-bill-nichols-70-led-pentagon-inquiry.html.
External links[]
- B at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Alabama Academy of Honor: William Flynt Nichols
- Bill Nichols (politician) at Find a Grave
- Appearances on C-SPAN
The original article can be found at Bill Nichols (politician) and the edit history here.