Nicholson was born in 1737 in
Chestertown, Maryland. He was born into the prestigious Nicholson family of Maryland, a son of Joseph Nicholson (1709–1787) and Hannah (
née Smyth) Nicholson (1708–1767).[1] Among his siblings were younger brothers
Samuel and
John Nicholson, who were also officers in the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War[2] He was also uncle to
William Nicholson, an officer in the
United States Navy during the
War of 1812 and the
American Civil War and grand-uncle to Rear Admiral
James Nicholson, an officer in the U.S. Navy during the
Mexican–American War and the Civil War.[1]
Career
Nicholson began his career by serving in the colonial Navy with the
British in the assault on
Havana in 1762, and was commissioned Captain in the Continental Navy 10 October 1776. He commanded Defense,
Trumbull, and
Virginia, and when blockaded at
Baltimore, Maryland, took his men to join
George Washington at the
Battle of Trenton to aid in that key victory.[3]
Made the senior captain in the Continental Navy due to political influence, he nevertheless had an undistinguished career, never winning a victory or capturing a prize. He lost his first command, the frigate Virginia, while trying to run past the British squadron blockading the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. He ran the ship aground and rather than fight the approaching British ships, fled to shore in a boat, leaving the Virginia and her crew to be captured. The next day he approached the captured ship under a flag of truce and asked for his personal effects.[4][5]
Nicholson styled his flight as an "escape" in his report to Congress, and with the only witnesses confined to British prisons, he was eventually given command of Trumbull. That command he lost to HMS Iris when his crew refused to fight.[6]
Later career
After the War, Nicholson moved to New York City and became a United States Commissioner of Loans. His home there became a meeting place for New York
Democratic-Republican politicians, including followers of
Thomas Jefferson and
Aaron Burr.[7] Nicholson greatly opposed
Josiah Ogden Hoffman, including in relation to the
Jay Treaty,[8] and
Alexander Hamilton, who challenged him to a duel in 1795, and his policies.[9]
On July 4, 1788, Nicholson was invited to attend the
Society of Cincinnati as a member and at the meeting, naval officers of similar rank were determined to be entitled to be members of the New York Society.[10]
Personal life
In 1763, Nicholson was married to Frances Witter (1744–1832), the daughter of Mary (née Lewis) Witter and Thomas Witter.[11] Witter's father Thomas was born in
Bermuda and became a successful merchant in New York.[12] Together, they were the parents of six children, one son and five daughters, including:[13]