Robert E. Nichols; Former Times Financial Editor
Robert E. Nichols, former financial editor of The Times and aide to governors of the Federal Reserve System, has died. He was 71.
Nichols, who most recently served as public relations executive with the Bank of America, died Monday of cancer in San Francisco.
During his tenure at The Times from 1961 to 1968, Nichols was a key figure in expanding the financial section of the newspaper. He was convinced that national business and financial centers would move to Los Angeles from Northern California and elsewhere, and beefed up coverage to detail the shift.
Nichols won the Loeb Newspaper Special Achievement Award and the Loeb award for distinguished financial reporting, given by the University of Connecticut. Nichols also served as national president of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.
When he left The Times in 1968, Nichols became a special assistant to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
In 1970, Nichols joined Bank of America in San Francisco as director of editorial services and three years later was named director of public relations. He was a prime advocate of the bank’s decision to publish its Corporate Disclosure Code, a first in the financial services industry. He retired in 1985.
Born in Daytona Beach, Fla., Nichols attended San Diego State, St. John’s College and George Washington University. His long journalistic career included assignments at the San Diego Union, CBS, the New York Herald-Tribune’s Washington bureau, and Time and Life magazines. Among the major stories he covered was Adm. Richard E. Byrd’s Antarctic expedition in 1946.
Nichols is survived by his wife, Diana; a son, Craig; two daughters, Robin Nichols and Kim Jeffries, and two grandchildren.
A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday at Daphne Funerals, No. 1 Church St., San Francisco.
The family has asked that any memorial contributions be made to the Visiting Nurses and Hospice of San Francisco, 3360 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94118 or to the Zen Hospice Project, 273 Page St., San Francisco, CA 94102.
