Subseries IV: William P. Nicholls Files, 1903 - 1978
Scope and Contents
The William P. Nicholls Files contain extensive records of his work for the Copper Range Company and his role in local and state organizations. This includes correspondence and reports, as well as large chronological files.
For his files pertaining to the Copper Range Railroad Company, see the records of the President's Office in Series IX, Subseries IV.
Also note that this subseries overlaps with the Land Department and Lands and Forestry Division Records (Series II, Subseries VIII).
Dates
- 1903 - 1978
Language of Material
English, except for a very small number of files in French, Finnish, or German.
Access
Available for use in the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.
Note that most folders in the collection do not have titles written on them. Please refer to the collection inventory for the titles.
Biographical / Historical
William P. Nicholls (1912-1986) began his career at the Copper Range Company as President William H. Schacht's secretary in 1936. When Schacht died in 1944, Nicholls was appointed Assistant Secretary. In 1948, Nicholls succeeded John M. Wagner as both the Manager of the Lands and Forestry Division and a director of the Copper Range Railroad Company.
Nicholls was also involved with the Copper Range Motor Bus Company, being promoted from Assistant Secretary to Secretary in 1946 and made a director in 1948. He continued in those roles until the company was dissolved in 1955.
In the 1950s, Nicholls rapidly advanced in both the Copper Range Railroad Company (Vice-President, 1955; Executive Vice-President, 1958) and the White Pine Copper Company (Assistant Secretary, 1952; Vice-President, 1954; Director, 1956; General Manager, 1957), culminating in his appointment as President of both companies in 1959. Despite these new responsibilities, he continued to serve as the Manager of the Lands and Forestry Division and was promoted to Vice-President of the Copper Range Company in 1957.
Under President James Boyd, a major reorganization of the Copper Range Company in 1961 saw Nicholls leave White Pine and receive the new title of Vice-President—Upper Peninsula Operations. He continued to serve in these capacities until he resigned from the Copper Range Company in 1976 and the Copper Range Railroad Company in 1977.
Extent
From the Collection: 590.25 Cubic Feet (434 boxes, 49 drawers, 447 volumes)
Arrangement
Records are arranged into two subseries:
Subseries I: General Files
Subseries II: White Pine Mortgages and Project X
Files are arranged alphabetically.
Separated Materials
At the time of accessioning, files from William P. Nicholls relating to the Upper Great Lakes Division of Michigan Tech's Four Million Dollar Fund were separated to create MTU-124, Michigan Technological University Four Million Fund Records.
Creator
- From the Collection: Copper Range Company (Organization)
Repository Details
Part of the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections Repository