Person

Richard Nicolls

1624–1672 · 17th century

Richard Nicolls was an English officer who in 1664 commanded the fleet that took New Amsterdam from the Dutch without a fight. Acting for James, Duke of York, he renamed the town and colony New York and served as its first English governor until 1668. He issued the Duke's Laws, a legal code that kept many Dutch practices and property rights.

Mentioned in 1 state history

Province of New York

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Richard Nicolls. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/richard-nicolls
MLA: “Richard Nicolls.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/richard-nicolls. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Richard Nicolls.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/richard-nicolls.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Richard Nicolls’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/richard-nicolls (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻