William Washington Nickels Jr. (1924-2001), served as mayor of Leesburg from 1953 to 1954. A native of Tennessee, he was educated at Davidson College, Duke University, and the University of Virginia. During World War II, he served in the U.S Navy in the Pacific theater, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. He moved to Leesburg in 1950 and began practicing law.

During Mr. Nickels' term as mayor, he worked with the town council to separate the duties of mayor from those of chief magistrate, justice of the peace, and police chief. In July 1953, when the town's water tank was very low, Mr. Nickels sought the help of General George Marshall to obtain purifying pumps from the Army at Fort Belvoir for use in the old limestone quarry, and thereby averted the water crisis. He also served as Municipal Judge for the Town of Leesburg. He was president of the Loudoun Bar Association and was ordained as a deacon and elder in the Presbyterian Church. He served as president of the Waterford Foundation and was on the Board of Directors of the Loudoun Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He was a Mason, former president of the Waterford Foundation, and a member of Kappa Alpha Fraternity.