George A. Wilson

George A. Wilson

George Allison Wilson (born April 1, 1884 in Menlo , Guthrie County , Iowa , †  September 8, 1953 in Des Moines , Iowa) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) and from 1939 to 1943 the 28th  governor of the state of Iowa . Between 1943 and 1949 he represented this in the US Senate .

Early years

After elementary school, Wilson attended Grinnell College and Iowa State University , where he studied law. There he graduated in 1907 and was admitted to the bar in the same year. Then he started to work in Des Moines in his new profession.

Between 1912 and 1914, he was the assistant district attorney in Polk County . From 1915 to 1916 he was himself a district attorney there. Between 1917 and 1921 he was a district judge.

Political career

From 1925 to 1935 Wilson was a member of the Senate of Iowa , in 1936 he ran unsuccessfully for the office of governor of that state. Two years later, however, he managed to be elected to this office as his party's candidate against incumbent Nelson Kraschel .

Wilson began his new role on January 12, 1939. After a re-election in 1940, he was able to remain in this office until January 14, 1943. During this time, Wilson made some changes to the administrative structure of his government. Some committees were reformed or abolished entirely. To this end, a Ministry of Public Security, a new Tax Commission and then, during World War II , a Defense Commission were created. Wilson's final year as governor was overshadowed by the events of the war in which the United States had participated since December 7, 1941, the day of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . In Iowa, too, industrial production had to be converted to armaments. Young men were drafted and drafted into the armed forces.

Another résumé

In November 1942, George Wilson was elected to the US Senate. In doing so, he ousted Clyde L. Herring , who had also been Governor of Iowa between 1933 and 1937. Wilson represented his state in Congress for the next six years . In the Senate, Wilson served on the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Small Business . In 1948 he failed to get confirmed. He surprisingly lost to Guy Mark Gillette . With that he left the Senate on January 3, 1949. He then returned to work as a lawyer. George Wilson died in September 1953. He had four children with his wife Mildred E. Zehner.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• George A. Wilson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• George A. Wilson in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• George Wilson in the National Governors Association (English)