John George Nicolay was born in Essingen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on February 26, 1832. He moved to the United States with his family at age 5, and worked at a local Illinois newspaper growing up. Nicolay went on to serve as secretary to President Abraham Lincoln. Nearly 30 years after Lincoln’s death, Nicolay co-wrote a 10-volume biography on the president, Abraham Lincoln: A History, with friend and fellow Lincoln White House employee John Hay. He was a member of the German branch of the Nicolay family. Nicolay died on September 26, 1901, in Washington, D.C. He was buried in the nation's capital, at the Oak Hill Cemetery.