Nance was born in La Fayette, Illinois on March 30, 1848. He was born to Dr. Hiram Nance and Sarah (Smith) Nance.[1] He was educated in Kewanee, Illinois, until age sixteen.[2] He married Sarah White and they had one child.[3]
In 1878, while Speaker of the Nebraska House of Representatives, Nance was elected Governor of Nebraska.[1] He was only thirty years old at the time of his election, and was known as "the boy governor".[4] Nance and his administration were very popular with the people. His administration was described in The Public Men of Today in 1882, "The distinguishing feature of his administration has been an unassuming but inflexible determination to execute the laws with fidelity to the best interests of the people of Nebraska."[5] Nance was renominated for the governorship, in 1880. He won the election, with an overwhelming majority.[2]
He is known for calling in the Nebraska state militia to subdue the strikers in the Camp Dump Strike; one striker was killed by the militia.
Death
After being governor, Nance retired to civilian life.[2] He owned large parts of numerous banks. He eventually retired altogether from business life. Nance died in Chicago, on December 7, 1911.[6]Nance County, Nebraska is named after him.[7]
White, J. T.; "The National cyclopaedia of American biography, Volume 12", J. T. White, (1904)
Nance, George Washington; "The Nance memorial: a history of the Nance family in general, but more particularly of Clement Nance, of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and descendants, containing historical and biographical records with family lineage", J. E. Burke & co., printers, (1904)
Sheldon, Addison Erwin; "History and stories of Nebraska", University Publishing Co., (1919)
Raimo, John; "Biographical directory of the governors of the United States, 1789–1978, Volume 3", Meckler Books, (1978)
