Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-10-02

The late John G. Nicolay. private sec
rotary TO President Lincoln and an in
innate personal friend of the great
emancipator, was a resident OF Wash
ington since 1872. much of his time
having been given to writing. In col
laboration with John Hay. now secre-
tary of state, he wrote the Life of
Abraham Lincoln"
John George Nicolay was born in the
village of Essingen, in Rhenish Bava-
ria, Germany, Feb. &c. 1882, the son of
Jacob and Helena Nicolay. In 1888 the
Nicolay family emigrated to America,
making their home first in Cincinnati.
O. From there they moved successive
ly to Indiana, Missouri and Illinois.
During this moving young Nicoiay re-
ceived elementary instruction in the
schools of Cincinnati and st. Louis.
His school days in these two cities COW
cred period of about two years. but
during that time the lad obtained tut
ton in German and English. as the
two languages We're taught together.
By the death of his parents when he
was about IA years old young Nicolay
sources. and he became a clerk in a
small retail store.
This occupation did not suit him.
however. and when he was sixteen he
started to learn the trade of a printer
in the office of The Free Press. a county
paper published weekly at Pittsheld.
Pike county, Ill. He remained with
The Free Press for about eight years,
and while connected with this country
sheet he laid the foundation for his flu
ture literary career.
Mr. Nicolay acquired a reputation as
an editor which lasts even to the pres
ent day in Pike county. He was
forceful writer and soon became po-
litical power in his part of the state.
He received fiattering offers from the
newspapers of Chicago and st. Louis,
but preferred to continue in his indie
pendent capacity as the editor of his
own paper. During the famous cam
paign between Lincoln and Douglas
Mr.. Nicolay took sides with Lincoln
and laid the foundation for his close
friendship with the great emancipation.
which lasted until the tragic death of
Lincoln.
At the close of the Fremont and Day
ton campaign in 1856 Mr.. Nicolay sold
his paper and became a clerk in the of
flee of the secretary of state at Spring
field. Ill. He remained in this position
until 1860, and during this time his
friendship with Lincoln ripened into
the closest intimacy. When Lincoln
was nominated for the presidency. he
appointed Nicolay his private secreta-
ry. After the election the correspond
ence of Mr.. Lincoln increased SO much
that an assistant became necessary.
and Mr.. Nicolay chose for this position
John Hay, the present secretary of
dent in Springfield.
When Lincoln made his memora BILE
journey to Washington in the spring of
1861. both Mr.. Nicolay and Mr.. Hay ac
companied him. During the first pres
idential term they occupied the same
room at the White House together. per-
forming the laborious and often deli
cate duties which fell to them and en-
joying the closest confidence of Presi-
dent Lincoln. During this time they
formed the plan. with the approval of
Mr.. Lincoln. of writing his biography,
which design they carried out later in
collaboration.
After the beginning Of his second
term. and shortly before his assassina-
ton, the president appointed Mr.. Nico-
lay United States consul at Paris and
appointed Mr. Hay secretary of the
American legation in the same city.
They had not. however. entered upon
their new duties before Mr.. Lincoln's
death occurred. Mr.. Nicoiay held the
office of consul at Paris until the spring
of 1863
Mr.. Nicolay and Mr. Hay tegan the
active work of writing their biography
of Lincoln in 1874. although they had
spent the previous six years in gather
ing and arranging their material Its
serial publication under the title
abraham Lincoln. a History" was
begun in The Century Magazine in No
vember. 1856. and continued until Feb
ruary, 1890. In the latter year the
complete work. with many important
chapters not included in the serial pub
lication. was issued in ten volumes and
achieved permanent place in An1eri-
can historical literature. OF the joint
work each author is said TO have writ
ten about half. and concurrently also
they collected. cataiogued and edited
Abraham Lincoln's Complete Works"
which We're published in 1894.
In addition to this great task Mr..
Nicolay wrote in 1881 THE Outbreak
of the Rebellion" it being the first vol
ume of a series entitled Campo igns OF
the Civil War" Mr.. Nicolay also wrote
the article on President Lincoln in the
Encyclopaedia Britannica and has con-
tributed numerous articles TO Ameri-
can magazines.
All of Mr. Nieolay's accomplishments
and tastes We're of a high order. He
had patented many inventions. was
lover of art and music, an accomplish
ed linguist and a poet of unusual merit
Of the many achievements of his life
he. however. derived the greatest sat