Historians, Miscellaneous: Biographies

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. The Oxford Companion to American Literature Further reading

John George Nicolay

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

John George Nicolay , 1832–1901, biographer of Lincoln, b. Bavaria. In 1837 he was brought to the United States, and his family settled in Pike co., Ill. He worked on the Pittsfield, Ill., Free Press and was its editor and owner from 1854 to 1856. In 1860 he and his close friend, John Hay, became private secretaries to Abraham Lincoln and continued as such during his presidency. In 1890 Nicolay and Hay brought out their Abraham Lincoln: a History (10 vol.), which had been planned since 1861. It is the authorized biography, and though biased by hero worship and a sometimes excessive respect for conventions, it is a basic historical work for study of the period. Hay and Nicolay also edited Lincoln's complete works.

Bibliography: See biography by his daughter, Helen Nicolay (1949).

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Nicolay, John George

The Oxford Companion to American Literature | 1995 | | Copyright

Nicolay, John George (1832–1901), brought to the U.S. in 1838 from his native Germany, grew up in Illinois, where after a journalistic career during his twenties he was appointed Lincoln's private secretary in 1860. His lifelong friend John Hay held a similar position, and the two men, who revered Lincoln, enjoyed an unusual opportunity for intimate study of their hero. From 1875 to 1890 they collaborated on the great biography Abraham Lincoln: A History (10 vols., 1890). Nicolay's other works include The Outbreak of Rebellion (1881), A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln (1902), and the editorship with Hay of Lincoln's writings (12 vols., 1905).

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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Nicolay, John George." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Nicolay, John George." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-NicolayJohnGeorge.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Nicolay, John George." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-NicolayJohnGeorge.html

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