Officer

John Nicholson

San Francisco Police Department — San Francisco, CA
Felonious
End of Watch February 16, 1884
Age 37
Tour of Duty 3 yrs 10 mo
Badge 355
Gender Male

Incident

Officer John Nicholson was stabbed after interrupting a burglary in progress at a grocery store at 1131 Pacific Avenue in San Francisco. The suspect fled with Officer Nicholson in pursuit. Officer Nicholson chased the suspect to the corner of Pacific Avenue and Mason Street, where a struggle ensued, and the suspect stabbed him and fled. Officer Nicholson continued the chase and fired three shots at the suspect. The suspect then turned on Officer Nicholson again and stabbed him in the neck and face, killing him. In 1902, Officer Nicholson's photograph was installed at the San Francisco Police Headquarters, along with four other officers killed in the line of duty, where it was displayed until the California earthquake of 1906 when all of the portraits were lost. Officer Nicholson had served with the San Francisco Police Department for over three years. He was survived by his fiancee. He is buried at what used to be Calvary Cemetery, now Holy Cross Cemetery, in Colma, California.

Survivors

He was survived by his fiancee.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

142 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Officer Nicholson gave the San Francisco Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the San Francisco community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location San Francisco, CA
Platform Identity sfpd.sf.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 16, 1884
Tour of Duty 3 yrs 10 mo
Age 37
Badge Number 355
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Edged weapon

The Sacrifice · Felonious

John is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1884, 52 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 137th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

John was 37. Of the 14,219 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. John had served 3.8 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

February holds 7.4% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Saturdays: 16.3%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was edged weapon, in 2.2% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

San Francisco Police Department has 106 officers remembered here, John among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Officer John Nicholson

San Francisco Police Department · End of Watch February 16, 1884

Where the Name Is Cut

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