Robert James "Jim" Nicholson is the current United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 26, 2005.

Nicholson was born in Struble, Iowa, on 4 February 1953, one of seven children of an Irish Catholic family. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and served over 30 years in the army, including eight in active duty in the Vietnam War. He retired from the military with the rank of colonel.

Though he has never held elected office, he has long been active in the United States Republican Party and served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1997 to 2000.

Between 2001 and his appointment as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, he served served as US Ambassador to the Vatican.

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Department of Veterans Affairs Biography