Rear Admiral James William Augustus Nicholson (10 March 1821 – 28 October 1887) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War. The son of Nathaniel Nicholson and grandson of Samuel Nicholson, he was born in Dedham, Massachusetts. Nicholson entered the Navy as a midshipman in February 1838. As a Lieutenant, he served in Vandalia in Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s Japanese Expedition (1853–55). During the Civil War he served in Pocahontas and Pensacola, and commanded Isaac Smith, Shamrock, Manhattan, and Mohongo. He commanded the New York Navy Yard during 1876 to 1880. Commodore from August 1873 and Rear Admiral from October 1881, he commanded the European Station 16 September 1881 to February 1883. When the British bombarded Alexandria, Egypt, in 1882, he rescued the records of the American Consulate and took American and other refugees aboard his flagship, Lancaster. Commendation from the Navy Department and awards of gratitude from European governments followed. Nicholson retired 10 March 1883 and died at his home in New York 28 October 1887. The ships named USS Nicholson were named for him and four male relatives in the naval service. This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
