John Sanctuary Nicholson
Encyclopedia
Brigadier-General John Sanctuary Nicholson, CB
, CMG
, CBE
, DSO
(19 May 1863 – 21 February 1924) was a British
soldier
and politician
. He was a Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) from 1921 to 1924.
Born in Kensington
, London
, the son of William Nicholson and his wife Isabella. He was educated at Harrow and then in 1882 to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He was commissioned in 7th Hussars
in February 1884 and in 1886 he spent eight years in India with his regiment before in 1894 being sent to Natal
.
The 7th Hussars joined a force at Mafeking to suppress a native rising in Matabeleland
. During these operations he raised and commanded a Corps of British South African Police. He became Commandant-General of the British South African Police and Inspector-General of Volunteers in Rhodesia
from 1898 until 1903. In 1903 he succeeded Baden-Powell
as Inspector-General of South African Constabulary and retired from the post as a Colonel in 1907.
With a father and brother both being members of parliament Nicholson contested a seat in East Dorset
in the 1910 general election. He lost by 426 votes to Captain Guest but after a petition Guest was unseated. Nicholson stood again as a Conservative candidate in a by-election against Guests brother Henry Guest
but was defeated again by a small margin. In the second general election of 1910 in December, he tried to get elected at Stafford
but was defeated by 755 votes.
During the First World War he joined the British Expeditionary Force and from April 1915 to December 1918 he was Base Commandant at Calais. He had been promoted to Brigadier-General in 1916 and he retired from the Army in 1920.
In In 1921, he was elected the Member of Parliament
for the Westminster Abbey constituency in a by-election
following the death of the incumbent MP William Burdett-Coutts. He was re-elected in the following two general elections in 1922
and 1923
. Nicholson, who had never married, died on 21 February 1924 of pneumonia at his house at South Audley Street, Mayfair aged 60., a by-election
was held to replace him as a MP.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(19 May 1863 – 21 February 1924) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He was a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) from 1921 to 1924.
Born in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of William Nicholson and his wife Isabella. He was educated at Harrow and then in 1882 to the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He was commissioned in 7th Hussars
7th Queen's Own Hussars
The 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1690. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Hussars in 1958....
in February 1884 and in 1886 he spent eight years in India with his regiment before in 1894 being sent to Natal
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
.
The 7th Hussars joined a force at Mafeking to suppress a native rising in Matabeleland
Second Matabele War
The Second Matabele War, also known as the Matabeleland Rebellion and in Zimbabwe as the First Chimurenga, was fought in 1896–97 between the British troops and the Ndebele people....
. During these operations he raised and commanded a Corps of British South African Police. He became Commandant-General of the British South African Police and Inspector-General of Volunteers in Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
from 1898 until 1903. In 1903 he succeeded Baden-Powell
Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell
Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, Bt, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB , also known as B-P or Lord Baden-Powell, was a lieutenant-general in the British Army, writer, and founder of the Scout Movement....
as Inspector-General of South African Constabulary and retired from the post as a Colonel in 1907.
With a father and brother both being members of parliament Nicholson contested a seat in East Dorset
East Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)
East Dorset is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was formally known as the Eastern Division of Dorset. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in the 1910 general election. He lost by 426 votes to Captain Guest but after a petition Guest was unseated. Nicholson stood again as a Conservative candidate in a by-election against Guests brother Henry Guest
Henry Guest
Christian Henry Charles Guest , usually known as Henry Guest, was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom.- Family :...
but was defeated again by a small margin. In the second general election of 1910 in December, he tried to get elected at Stafford
Stafford (UK Parliament constituency)
Stafford is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. The sitting MP is the Conservative Jeremy Lefroy....
but was defeated by 755 votes.
During the First World War he joined the British Expeditionary Force and from April 1915 to December 1918 he was Base Commandant at Calais. He had been promoted to Brigadier-General in 1916 and he retired from the Army in 1920.
In In 1921, he was elected the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for the Westminster Abbey constituency in a by-election
Westminster Abbey by-election, 1921
The Westminster Abbey by-election, 1921 was a parliamentary by-election held on 25 August 1921 for the British House of Commons constituency of Westminster Abbey in London. The seat had become vacant when the Conservative Member of Parliament William Burdett-Coutts had died on 28 July 1921...
following the death of the incumbent MP William Burdett-Coutts. He was re-elected in the following two general elections in 1922
United Kingdom general election, 1922
The United Kingdom general election of 1922 was held on 15 November 1922. It was the first election held after most of the Irish counties left the United Kingdom to form the Irish Free State, and was won by Andrew Bonar Law's Conservatives, who gained an overall majority over Labour, led by John...
and 1923
United Kingdom general election, 1923
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
. Nicholson, who had never married, died on 21 February 1924 of pneumonia at his house at South Audley Street, Mayfair aged 60., a by-election
Westminster Abbey by-election, 1924
The Westminster Abbey by-election, 1924 was a parliamentary by-election held on 19 March 1924 for the British House of Commons constituency of Westminster Abbey in London. The seat had become vacant when the Conservative Member of Parliament John Nicholson had died on 21 February 1924. Nicholson...
was held to replace him as a MP.