John L. Wilson

John Lockwood Wilson ( born August 7, 1850 in Crawfordsville, Indiana, † November 6, 1912 in Washington DC) was an American politician who represented the state of Washington in both chambers of Congress.

Early life

John L. Wilson was born as one of four children of James Wilson, a congressman from Indiana, and his wife Emma. He had two brothers and a sister who died as an infant but already. After the school visit Wilson served as an errand boy in the Civil War and became afterwards, in 1874, graduated from Wabash College in Crawfordsville. Four years later, Wilson was admitted as a lawyer and practiced then in his hometown of Crawfordsville.

Political career

In 1880, Wilson was elected as a member of the Republican Party in the House of Representatives of Indiana, a mandate which he exercised, however, only a few months. 1882 Wilson was sent by U.S. President Chester A. Arthur in the Washington Territory. Here he was until 1887 to act as tax collector in Spokane Falls, and in the small town of Colfax on behalf of Arthur.

Wilson was in 1889 elected as the first member of the new Washington State House of Representatives of the United States, where he served from 20 November 1889 until February 18, 1895. In 1895, Wilson was elected U.S. Senator, so as to finish a vacancy of that office two years. Wilson's term ended on March 3, 1899, because he had lost his re-election a year earlier. Wilson is now considered controversial politician, as he had been from 1895 until his retirement from the Senate in 1899, Chairman of the Committee for the looting of the Indians ( Committee on Indian depredations ).

Private life

Even in Indiana married Wilson on December 5, 1883 Edna Hartman. The couple had a daughter.

After his political career Wilson went into the newspaper business when he was editor of the daily Seattle Post- Intelligencer. He died in November 1912, is located in the cemetery of his hometown of Crawfordsville buried.