Bill Nichols (politician)
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William Flynt Nichols | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 3rd district | |
In office January 3, 1973 – December 13, 1988 | |
Preceded by | Elizabeth B. Andrews |
Succeeded by | Glen Browder |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 4th district | |
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] | |
Constituency | 8th district |
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, U.S. |
Died | December 13, 1988 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 70)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | 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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]After military service, Nichols was employed by the Parker Fertilizer Company, and would later become president of the associated Parker Gin Company.[3]
Politics
[edit]Service in the Alabama Legislature
[edit]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
[edit]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.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1963 (Chapter 4, Page 17)". digital.archives.alabama.gov. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ^ "Alabama Official and Statistical Register, 1959 (Chapter 4, Page 58)". digital.archives.alabama.gov. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Schmidt, Greg. "William Flynt Nichols". Encyclopedia of Alabama.
- ^ "Rep. Bill Nichols, 70; Led Pentagon Inquiry". New York Times. December 14, 1988.
External links
[edit]- 1918 births
- 1988 deaths
- American amputees
- American politicians with disabilities
- People from Monroe County, Mississippi
- Auburn University alumni
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- United States Army officers
- Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives
- Democratic Party Alabama state senators
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama
- 20th-century American legislators
- 20th-century Alabama politicians