Robert C. Nicholas

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title: "Robert C. Nicholas" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1787-births", "1856-deaths", "people-from-hanover-county,-virginia", "people-from-st.-james-parish,-louisiana", "united-states-army-colonels", "united-states-army-personnel-of-the-war-of-1812", "democratic-party-united-states-senators-from-louisiana", "secretaries-of-state-of-louisiana", "louisiana-state-superintendents-of-education", "nicholas-family", "19th-century-owners-of-plantations-in-the-united-states", "college-of-william-&-mary-alumni", "louisiana-jacksonians", "louisiana-democrats", "educators-from-louisiana", "19th-century-united-states-senators"] description: "American politician" topic_path: "people/1780s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_C._Nicholas" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American politician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Robert Carter Nicholas
image name	Robert Carter Nicholas.jpg
jr/sr	United States Senator
state	Louisiana
term_start	January 13, 1836
term_end	March 3, 1841
predecessor	George A. Waggaman
successor	Alexander Barrow
office2	Secretary of State of Louisiana
term_start2	1845
term_end2	1845
governor2	Alexandre Mouton
predecessor2	Levi Pierce
successor2	Zenon Ledoux, Jr.
office3	Louisiana Superintendent of Education
term_start3	1849
term_end3	1853
predecessor3	Alexander Dimitry
successor3	John N. Carrigan
birth_date
birth_place	Hanover, Virginia
death_date
death_place	Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, U.S.
resting_place	Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1
party	Democratic
alma_mater	College of William & Mary
::

| name = Robert Carter Nicholas | image name = Robert Carter Nicholas.jpg | jr/sr = United States Senator | state = Louisiana | term_start = January 13, 1836 | term_end = March 3, 1841 | predecessor = George A. Waggaman | successor = Alexander Barrow | office2 = Secretary of State of Louisiana | term_start2 = 1845 | term_end2 = 1845 | governor2 = Alexandre Mouton | predecessor2 = Levi Pierce | successor2 = Zenon Ledoux, Jr. | office3 = Louisiana Superintendent of Education | term_start3 = 1849 | term_end3 = 1853 | predecessor3 = Alexander Dimitry | successor3 = John N. Carrigan | birth_date = | birth_place = Hanover, Virginia | death_date = | death_place = Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, U.S. | resting_place = Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 | party = Democratic | alma_mater = College of William & Mary

Robert Carter Nicholas (January 10, 1787 – December 24, 1856) was a United States senator from Louisiana. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, and also served as Secretary of State of Louisiana and Louisiana's Superintendent of Education.

Early life and education

Born in Hanover, Virginia, on January 10, 1787, he was the son of Revolutionary war veteran and politician George Nicholas (1754–1799) and his wife Mary (Smith) Nicholas (d. 1806). and the grandson of Robert Carter Nicholas (1728–1780)., and named for his late grandfather Robert Carter Nicholas, Sr. In 1816 and 1817 Nicholas attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Military service

Nicholas joined the United States Army in 1808, receiving a commission as a Captain in the 7th Infantry Regiment. Nicholas was promoted to major in 3rd Infantry Regiment in 1810 and became Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st Infantry Regiment in 1812. He served with his regiment in the War of 1812, including combat at the Battle of Chippewa. After serving with the 30th Infantry, in 1814 he was promoted to colonel, and he commanded the 8th Infantry Regiment until resigning his commission in 1819.

Career

After his military service, Nicholas relocated to Kentucky, and in 1821 received an appointment as U.S. Indian Agent to the Chickasaw Nation.

Nicholas later moved to Louisiana, where he owned a sugarcane plantation in Terrebonne Parish while residing in St. James Parish. He operated that plantation using enslaved labor. In the last federal census in his lifetime, Nicholas owned 236 enslaved people.

Nicholas was elected as a Jacksonian (later a Democrat) to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator-elect Charles E.A. Gayarre, and served from January 13, 1836, to March 3, 1841.

He was Secretary of State of Louisiana in 1845. From 1849 to 1853 he was Louisiana's Superintendent of Education.

Death and legacy

Nicholas died in Terrebonne Parish on December 24, 1856.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Hanover,_VA.jpg" caption="Hanover, VA"] ::

Personal life

He married Susan Adelaide Vinson, and their children included a daughter, Mary. Mary Nicholas was the wife of Frederick George Burthe.

Nicholas was a nephew of John Nicholas, a U.S. Representative from Virginia and Wilson Cary Nicholas, a Senator from Virginia.

References

References

1. https://scrc-kb.libraries.wm.edu/robert-c-nicholas#:~:text=Interment%20was%20in%20the%20Burthe%20vault%2C%20St.%20Louis%20Cemetery%2C%20New%20Orleans.
2. du Bellet, Louise Pecquet. (1907). "Some Prominent Virginia Families, Volumes I and II". Clearfield.
3. (July 1, 1918). "Historical and Genealogical Notes: Nicholas". William and Mary College.
4. "Ni5-1 Robert Carter Nicholas". Dr. William Hester.
5. (October 1, 1888). "Alumni of William and Mary College". The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.
6. (1961). "Biographical Directory of the American Congress". US Government Printing Office.
7. United States Senate, [https://books.google.com/books?id=BoguAAAAIAAJ&dq=r+c+nicholas++captain&pg=PA309 Journal of the Senate of the United States of America], 1810, page 309
8. (1810). "Journal of the Senate of the United States of America". R. C. Weightman.
9. Powell, William H.. (1900). "List of Officers of the Army of the United States from 1779 to 1900". L. R. Hamersly & Co..
10. Quisenberry, Anderson Chenault. (1969). "Kentucky in the War of 1812". Genealogical Publishing Company.
11. Anderson Chenault Quisenberry, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUZ3FU2QMncC&dq=%22robert+carter+nicholas%22+%22war+of+1812%22&pg=PA165 Kentucky in the War of 1812], 1996, page 165
12. United States War Department, [https://books.google.com/books?id=XIcFAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22r+c+nicholas%22+major&pg=PA19 A Compilation of Registers of the Army of the United States, from 1815 to 1837], 1837, page 19
13. United States Senate, [https://books.google.com/books?id=I3aIAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22robert+c+nicholas%22++%227th+infantry%22&pg=PA235 Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the United States Senate], Volume 3, 1821, page 235
14. Robinson, Merritt M.. (1843). "Reports of cases argued and determined in the Supreme Court of Louisiana, Volume 22". A. S. Gould.
15. 1850 U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedule for Eastern District, St. James Parish, Louisiana pp. 49-51 of 85, available on ancestry.com
16. Byrd, Robert. (1993). "Senate, 1789–1989: Historical Statistics, 1789–1992, Volume 4". U.S. Government Printing Office.
17. Michel, John T.. (1902). "Annual Report of the Louisiana Secretary of State". Baton Rouge News Publishing Company.
18. Jeanne Frois, [https://books.google.com/books?id=6Bm5yc8Pdc8C&dq=%22robert+carter+nicholas%22+education+superintendent&pg=PA555 Louisiana Almanac: 2006-2007], 2006, page 555
19. [https://books.google.com/books?id=NqEhAQAAIAAJ&q=%22robert+c+nicholas%22 The Boardman], Volumes 6-8, 1951, page 5
20. (December 29, 1856). "Louisiana Intelligence: Death of Robert C. Nicholas". The Times-Picayune.
21. (1949). "The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Volume 57". Virginia Historical Society.
22. (2010). "American Political Leaders 1789–2009". CQ Press, Inc..

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