Harry Nice

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Harry W. Nice
50^th Governor of Maryland
Preceded by	Albert C. Ritchie
Succeeded by	Herbert R. O'Conor

Born	December 5, 1877 Washington, D.C.
Died	February 25, 1941 Baltimore, Maryland
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Edna Viola Amos
Children	Harry W., Jr., and William Stone
Residence	Baltimore, Maryland

Harry Whinna Nice (December 5, 1877 - February 25, 1941), a member of the United States Republican Party, was the 50^th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1935 to 1939.

Harry Nice was born in Washington D.C., but was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He later attended Baltimore City College, Dickinson College and graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1899. He practiced law throughout the rest of his life. He was married to Edna Viola Amos in 1905. They had two sons, Harry Jr, and William, who died in childhood.

Nice soon entered Baltimore City politics and served as assistant to the State's Attorney, resigning to campaign as the Republican candidate for governor in 1919, losing to Albert C. Ritchie by a narrow margin. Following the defeat, Nice accepted a position in the Appeals Tax Court of Baltimore City as a judge from 1920-1924. He challenged Ritchie again in 1934 using the motto, "Right the wrong of 1919," and won by 6,149 votes.

Nice became governor in the midst of a national depression and precipitously declining state revenues. He appointed a committee to prepare a comprehensive relief plan which recommended a sales tax to fund a program more generous and costly than neither Nice nor the Maryland General Assembly was willing to support.

Governor Nice made his mark on the state capital Annapolis, Maryland by transforming Government House from a Victorian mansion to a Colonial Revival Georgian-style town house. He ran for re-election in 1938, despite loss of support from his own party, and was decisively beaten by Herbert R. O'Conor. After an unsuccessful attempt to gain a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1940, he practiced law in Baltimore until his death. He is buried in Greenmount Cemetery.

[edit] Building dedications

The Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge connects Charles County, Maryland and King George County, Virginia, over the Potomac River on US Route 301. [1]

[edit] References

Harry W. Nice. December 09, 1998. Maryland State Archives. Oct 25, 2004. [2]
Some information or images have been taken from a non-password protected section of the Maryland State Archives. This is copyrighted but may be legally reproduced as long as credit is given. See citation policy.