Robert Nichols is the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 senator for the 3rd District

Texas Senate, District 3

District 3 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves all of Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Henderson, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby and Tyler counties, and portions of Montgomery and Smith counties in the U.S. state of Texas...

 in the Texas Senate

Texas Senate

The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...

.

Early years

Robert Nichols graduated from Lamar University

Lamar University

Lamar University, often referred to as Lamar or LU, is a comprehensive coeducational public research university located in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar confers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees and is classified as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher...

 with a degree in Industrial Engineering in 1968. From there, he had a successful career as a small businessman before being elected Mayor of Jacksonville, Texas

Jacksonville, Texas

Jacksonville is located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,868 at the 2000 census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Cherokee County and part of the larger Tyler-Jacksonville Combined Statistical...

.

Public service

During his tenure as Mayor of Jacksonville, Nichols streamlined the city government and helped to cut property tax rates. His service as Mayor eventually convinced then-Governor of Texas George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 to appoint him to a six-year term on the Texas Transportation Commission in 1997. Nichols was appointed again in 2003 by current Texas Governor Rick Perry

Rick Perry

James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...

, and continued to serve until he resigned to prepare for a bid for the Texas Senate.

Bid for the Texas Senate

Nichols faced stiff competition in Bob Reeves of Center

Center, Texas

Center is a city in Shelby County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,678 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Shelby County...

; David Kleimann of Willis

Willis, Texas

Willis is a city in Montgomery County, Texas, United States, located on the Missouri Pacific Railroad eight miles north of Conroe in north central Montgomery County.-Geography:Willis is located at ....

; and Frank Denton of Conroe

Conroe, Texas

Conroe is a suburban city 40 miles north of Houston in the gulf coastal plains/piney woods region of southeast Texas.It is the seat of Montgomery County and falls within the metropolitan area.As of the 2000 U.S...

 in the Republican Primary. Nichols managed a 54% win, thus avoiding a runoff.

Due to the strong Republican tilt in Texas Senate District 3, Nichols' narrow win effectively was tantamount to winning the general election, which he did.

Nichols will be eligible for re-election in 2010.

Service outside of the Texas Senate

Nichols serves as a board member of Lon Morris College

Lon Morris College

Lon Morris College is a private junior college located in Jacksonville, Texas, United States, and is the only school affiliated with the United Methodist Church that is owned by an individual conference and not the denomination as a whole...

 in Jacksonville, Texas; the East Texas Medical Center and the Nan Travis Hospital Foundation, as chairman of the Jacksonville Economic Development Corporation.

Personal life

Nichols and his high school sweetheart, Donna, have been married for 31 years. They are parents of three children, Brittney, Joshua and Collynn’rae. Robert Nichols is also the son of the co-founder of Nichols Industries, Inc.

Nichols Industries, Inc.

In 1946 Talley Nichols and Lewis W. Nichols started a cap gun company in Pasadena, Texas, which eventually became one of the world's largest cap gun manufacturing companies. World War II had just ended, and they wanted to manufacture something. After several ideas they decided to make toys,...

, Talley Nichols, which was one of the largest manufacturers of toy cap guns in the 1940s, 50's and 60's. Nichols is a member of First United Methodist Church in Jacksonville.

2006

External links

• Senate of Texas - Senator Robert Nichols official TX Senate website
• Project Vote Smart - Senator Robert Nichols (TX) profile
• Follow the Money - Robert Nichols
  • 2006 campaign contributions