Attorney at law, one of the original Judges of the Territory of Iowa, and of the District Court for many years, was born at Steubenville, Ohio, Oct. 13, 1813; he graduated at Jefferson College, Penn, in 1832, and, after studying law two years, was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1834; after being admitted, he began practice with Gen. Stokely, at Steubenville; soon after, contrary to the advice and wishes of his friends, he determined to come West; having a brother- Capt. George Wilson, of the 1st U.S.I., under command of Col. Zachery Taylor-at Prairie du Chien, he went there with his wife, and remained there until he could select a place of settlement; deciding to locate at Dubuque, he removed there in October, 1836; in the spring of 1837, he was elected President of the Board of Trustees of the town of Dubuque; Iowa was then a part of Wisconsin Territory, and contained two counties-Dubuque and Des Moines; he practiced law in Dubuque, Mineral Point, Lancaster and Prairie du Chien until July 4, 1838, and was engaged in almost every suit up too that time; in June, 1838, he was nominated a delegate to congress by the northern counties of Iowa; at the same time he was appointed, by President Van Buren, Judge of the Supreme Court of Iowa; he had no application for the appointment, and it was made without his knowledge; his appointment was renewed by Presidents Tyler and Polk, and he continued Judge of the Supreme Court until a year after the admission of Iowa into the Union as a State in 1846; when the first Legislature met and went into joint ballot, he came within one vote of being elected United States Senator; the first court ever held in Iowa Territory was held by Judge Wilson at Prairie la Porte, now Guttenberg, on the second Monday in November, 1838; he resigned his office as Judge of the Supreme Court in 1847, and practiced law in partnership with Platt Smith, Esq., and his brother, Hon. D.S. Wilson; in April 1852, he was elected, without opposition, Judge of the District Court, and by successive elections, held the office until Jan. 1, 1863, serving over twenty years as Judge; he held the first courts in the counties of Clayton, Delaware, Allamakee, Jones, Winneshiek, Black Hawk, Chickasaw, Bremer, Fayette and Clinton' it is stated, on good authority, that Judge Wilson never had ten cases reversed during all the time he was on the bench. Judge Wilson was elected two consecutive terms to the Legislature, in 1866 and 1868; at the session in 1866, he was tendered by the Democratic members the nomination of United States Senator, which he declined. Judge Wilson married Miss Anna Hoge in Ohio before he came West.

Attorney at law, one of the original Judges of the Territory of Iowa, and of the District Court for many years, was born at Steubenville, Ohio, Oct. 13, 1813; he graduated at Jefferson College, Penn, in 1832, and, after studying law two years, was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1834; after being admitted, he began practice with Gen. Stokely, at Steubenville; soon after, contrary to the advice and wishes of his friends, he determined to come West; having a brother- Capt. George Wilson, of the 1st U.S.I., under command of Col. Zachery Taylor-at Prairie du Chien, he went there with his wife, and remained there until he could select a place of settlement; deciding to locate at Dubuque, he removed there in October, 1836; in the spring of 1837, he was elected President of the Board of Trustees of the town of Dubuque; Iowa was then a part of Wisconsin Territory, and contained two counties-Dubuque and Des Moines; he practiced law in Dubuque, Mineral Point, Lancaster and Prairie du Chien until July 4, 1838, and was engaged in almost every suit up too that time; in June, 1838, he was nominated a delegate to congress by the northern counties of Iowa; at the same time he was appointed, by President Van Buren, Judge of the Supreme Court of Iowa; he had no application for the appointment, and it was made without his knowledge; his appointment was renewed by Presidents Tyler and Polk, and he continued Judge of the Supreme Court until a year after the admission of Iowa into the Union as a State in 1846; when the first Legislature met and went into joint ballot, he came within one vote of being elected United States Senator; the first court ever held in Iowa Territory was held by Judge Wilson at Prairie la Porte, now Guttenberg, on the second Monday in November, 1838; he resigned his office as Judge of the Supreme Court in 1847, and practiced law in partnership with Platt Smith, Esq., and his brother, Hon. D.S. Wilson; in April 1852, he was elected, without opposition, Judge of the District Court, and by successive elections, held the office until Jan. 1, 1863, serving over twenty years as Judge; he held the first courts in the counties of Clayton, Delaware, Allamakee, Jones, Winneshiek, Black Hawk, Chickasaw, Bremer, Fayette and Clinton' it is stated, on good authority, that Judge Wilson never had ten cases reversed during all the time he was on the bench. Judge Wilson was elected two consecutive terms to the Legislature, in 1866 and 1868; at the session in 1866, he was tendered by the Democratic members the nomination of United States Senator, which he declined. Judge Wilson married Miss Anna Hoge in Ohio before he came West.