Ross, William Henry Harrison, 1814-1887

William H. Ross (1814–1877) served as the Democratic Governor of the state of Delaware from January 21, 1851, until January 16, 1855. Ross, originally a farmer from Seaford, Delaware, was also a member of the State Agricultural Society beginning in the mid-1850s.

Scharf, J. Thomas. History of Delaware: 1609-1888 . Philadelphia: L.J. Richards, 1888.

John A. (Anthony) Nicholson was appointed superintendent of schools for Kent County, Delaware, in 1851, by Governor William H. Ross.

Nicholson was born in Laurel, Sussex County, Delaware, on November 17, 1827. He graduated from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1847, and studied law with Martin W. Bates in Dover, Delaware, before being admitted to the bar on April 23, 1850. On August 2, 1848, he married Angelica K. Reed. Beginning in 1861, Nicholson served as a brigadier general of the Kent County militia. He was twice elected to the United States Congress as a Representative from Delaware. He served as a Democratic member of the House of Representatives during the Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Congresses (March 4, 1865–March 3, 1869), before retiring to Dover, Delaware, to resume his law career. He died on November 4, 1906, in Dover, Kent County, Delaware, and is buried in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

Nicholson, John Anthony (1827–1906). In "Biographical Directory of the United States Congress." Available online at http://bioguide.congress.gov/ (accessed May 28, 2009). Scharf, J. Thomas. History of Delaware: 1609-1888. Philadelphia: L.J. Richards, 1888.

From the guide to the Document appointing John A. Nicholson to be superintendent of schools in and for Kent County, Delaware, 1851 March 3, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)