James McNicholas : Short Biography

James McNicholas was born about 1799 somewhere in Co. Mayo. Sometime between 1847 & 1852, his son, John J. McNicholas, emigrated from County Mayo to Syracuse, New York.  Several years later James & Sarah and a number of their children joined John in Syracuse.

John met his wife there, Mary Lucid of County Kerry.  While there, he Anglicized his name to Nicholson.  After moving to the west (Coldwater & Milford, Iowa and O'Neill,Nebraska), he changed it back to an Irish form, spelled McNichols.  He sent many of his sons to Colorado to work the mines to help make money to support the family.  John & Mary remained in O'Neill, where he became a successful farmer.

One of John's sons, William H McNichols liked it so much in Colorado that he stayed, first in Aspen where he was county clerk and recorder. He later move to Denver where he went more into politics and became the Denver City Auditor for over 30 years.  His two sons, William & Steven, followed him into politics.

William's son Steven Lucid Robert McNichols served in the US Navy in WWII, rising to Lt. Commander.  He later served in the Colorado Legislature and as the Governor of Colorado from 1957 to 1963.  He died in Denver in 1997.

William's elder son, William H (Bill) McNichols, jr., served with the US 4th Armored division in WWII.  He worked his way up in Denver city politics, eventually serving as Mayor of Denver for 15 years, 1968 - 1983.  He also died in Denver in 1997.

Descendants of James are scattered among most states in the western half of the US, between the Pacific Coast to the Mississippi river.