John George Nicolay (1832–1901)

American historical writer; born in Essingen, Bavaria, on the 26th of February 1832; removed to the United States when a boy, and edited a paper in Pittsfield, IL. In 1857 he became assistant to the secretary of state at Springfield, and in 1860 secretary to Abraham Lincoln. He went with President Lincoln to Washington, and served as his secretary until his death. From 1865 until 1869 he was United States consul in Paris, and from 1872 to 1887 was marshal of the United States supreme court. He wrote The Life of Abraham Lincoln (1888), published in the Century Magazine in serial form, in connection with John Hay, and also published The Outbreak of Rebellion in Campaigns of the Civil War (1881). See also “The Death of Lincoln.” (See authored article: Abraham Lincoln.)