William L. Wilson

William L. Wilson

William Lyne Wilson (born May 3, 1843 in Charles Town , Jefferson County , Virginia , † October 17, 1900 in Lexington , Virginia) was an American politician and lawyer from West Virginia . Within the Democratic Party , he belonged to the conservative wing of the Bourbon Democrats .

Career

William Wilson was born in 1843 in what is now West Virginia. He attended Charles Town Academy , graduated from Columbian College in 1860 and then studied at the University of Virginia . During the Civil War he served in the Confederate Army as a private with the 12th Virginia Cavalry . After the war, he taught at Columbian College for a few years while studying at law school . He was admitted to the bar in 1869 and then practiced in Charles Town.

Wilson was a delegate to the 1880 Democratic National Convention and was elected President of West Virginia University - an office he took on September 4, 1882. He was also elected as a Democrat to the US House of Representatives in 1883 and re - elected five times in a row. He remained there until 1895. During that time, Wilson was chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means from 1893 to 1895 and a co-author of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act , which lowered US tariffs.

After leaving Congress , Wilson was appointed Postmaster General in the Cabinet of President Grover Cleveland in 1895 , a position he held until 1897. During this time, the future Secretary of War, Newton D. Baker, was his private secretary. In 1896 he opposed the party line with his negative attitude towards the Free Silver Movement , which was led by Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan . Many Bourbon Democrats supported the National Democratic Party candidate , John M. Palmer , who was a supporter of the traditional gold standard and the restricted government and an opponent of protectionism .

After leaving his post as Postmaster General, Wilson served as President of Washington and Lee University ; in this capacity he succeeded George Washington Custis Lee . He died on October 17, 1900 in Lexington and was buried in Edgehill Cemetery in Charles Town.

Honors

Part of US Route 340 between Harpers Ferry and Charles Town, West Virginia is marked as the William L. Wilson Freeway in his honor .

Web links

• William L. Wilson in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• William L. Wilson in the Miller Center of Public Affairs of the University of Virginia (English)