Peter Nicholas

Peter Michael Nicholas (May 16, 1941 – May 14, 2022) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded medical device firm Boston Scientific with partner John Abele in 1979.

Early life Nicholas was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on May 16, 1941. He was the second of four children of Nicholas Nicholas and Vrysula (Coucouvitis), both of whom immigrated to the United States from Greece. His father was a United States Navy career officer and served during World War II. Nicholas attended St. Paul's School in his home state, where he was a letterman in baseball, football, and squash. Although he was accepted into the United States Naval Academy, he did not pass an entrance physical examination due to his eyesight. After serving in the U.S. Navy as a communications officer on the USS Lookout and member of the special operations warfare group for two years, Nicholas was chief executive officer of the company until 1999, when he became chairman. He continued in that role until his retirement in 2016. before finishing #189 the following year. Nicholas was one of seven Greek Americans to feature on the aforementioned list.

The Nicholas family gave $20 million to Duke University in 1996 for the School of the Environment, which subsequently renamed the school in his honor. In 2000, Nicholas was a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Eight years later, Nicholas and his wife pledged a further $72 million to Duke; $70 million to the Nicholas School of the Environment, and $2 million to Perkins Library. He served on the board of advisors of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, which he established. Phoenix Lifetime Achievement Award Ellis Island Medal of Honor, 2000 AdvaMed Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016