David Nicandri Biography
David Nicandri, Director of the
Washington State Historical Society.
Contact Kimberly Adams (253-798-5877) for
high-res image.
David L. Nicandri has been director of the Washington State Historical Society since
July 1987.
A graduate of State University of New York (SUNY) at Plattsburgh, and the holder of
a Master’s Degree in history from the University of Idaho, Nicandri formerly served as the
chief curator of the Washington State Capital Museum.
Nicandri was also elected three times to
the Tumwater, Wash. city council, and was adjunct faculty at The Evergreen State College. He
has served as a consulting historian in a number of capacities, including three terms as a
speaker in the “Inquiring Mind” program at Humanities Washington.
Nicandri is the author of numerous books and articles, including: Olympia’s Forgotten
Pioneers: The Oblates of Mary Immaculate (1972); Italians in Washington State:
Emigration, 1853-1924 (1978); Northwest Chiefs: Gustav Sohon’s Views of the 1855 Stevens
Treaty Councils (1986); and a contributing editor of Washington: Images of State’s
Heritage (1988), the official centennial illustrated history of Washington; and most
recently, River of Promise: Lewis and Clark on the Columbia (2010) published by the
Dakota Institute and distributed nationally by Oklahoma University Press.
He has published many book reviews including those that can be found in
Western Historical Quarterly, Montana: The Magazine of Western History, Overland Journal,
and the Oregon Historical Quarterly. He is also the executive editor of COLUMBIA
Magazine, the journal of the Washington State Historical Society.
In May 2001, Nicandri received an honorary doctorate from Gonzaga University in
recognition of the Washington State Historical Society’s expansion and
proficiency during his tenure. The University of Puget Sound granted Nicandri an
honorary doctorate in May 2007, and his alma mater, SUNY Plattsburgh, has named
him a distinguished visiting alumnus.
Currently, Nicandri is researching for a book on the "Tacoma Renaissance,"
countenancing the intersection of the Boldt Decision, the Puyallup Land Claim settlement,
and the revitalization of downtown Tacoma.