WILSON 



C290 



WILSON 



was appointed judge of the Court of Claims in 

 1863 by President Lincoln, and died while hold- 

 ing that office. 



Consult Von Hoist's Constitutional and Political 

 History of the United States. 



WILSON, Af;r-T\ JANE (EvANs) (1835- 

 1909), an American novelist who had great 

 popularity in her day. Her stories, though in- 

 terestingly written, are overemotional and 

 weakly sentimental, and have failed to hold 

 tlu place they once had in the affection of the 

 public. She was born in Columbus, Ga., and 

 was brought up in Texas and Alabama. Her 

 first novel, Inez, A Tale of the Alamo, was 

 published when she was seventeen years old. 

 Others that followed included Beulah, Macaria, 

 Saint Elmo (the best known), Infelice and 

 Devota. 



WILSON, SIR DANIEL (1816-1892), a Scotch 

 scientist who became identified with education 

 in Canada through appointment to a professor- 

 ship in the University of Toronto. He was 

 born at Edinburgh and was graduated from the 

 University of Edinburgh, his work there bring- 

 ing him favorable mention in the field of 

 archaeology. His first book, Edinburgh in the 

 Olden Time, established him as a scientist, and 

 soon appeared Archaeological and Prehistoric 

 Annals oj Scotland. 



In 1853 he was induced to accept the chair 

 of history and English literature at Toronto, 

 and at once he took a prominent part in the 

 affairs of that city. He was editor of the Jour- 

 nal of the Canadian Institute in 1854, and six 

 n later was elected president of the or- 

 ganization. In 1885 he was president of the 

 Royal Society of Canada, and three years later 

 he was knighted. 



Meanwhile, in 1881, he had been chosen 

 president of Toronto University, and he 

 tained the post during the remainder of his 

 life. 



WILSON, II 1812-1875), Vice-President 



of the United States from 1873 to 1875, and at 

 one time among the ablest orators in the coun- 

 try. His name was originally JEIU.MIMI JONES 

 COLBAITU. hut he changed it when he attained 

 hi- majority. He was born at Farnnn 

 N. H., of poor parents, and earned his educa- 

 tion by working as a farm hand and shoemaker. 

 He became a shoe manufacturer at Nut irk. 

 Mass., a fact wlu< -h ll to his being nicknamed 



Natick cobbler" when he entn.-d |..,| 

 life In 1840 he began to attrar n as 



a campaign speaker, and the same year he was 

 elected to the lower house of the Massachusetts 



legislature; later he served two terms as state 

 senator. He established a Free-Soil paper in 

 1848, and from 1855 to 1873 served as United 

 States Senator. At the outbreak of the War 

 of Secession Wilson was made chairman of the 

 military committee of the Senate. In 1872 he 

 was nominated for the Vice-Presidency by the 

 Republican party, on the ticket with Grant, 

 and was elected. He died in 1875, before his 

 term of office expired. 



WILSON, JAMES (1835- ), an American 

 Secretary of Agriculture who held his position 

 for sixteen years (1897-1913), a longer term 

 than any other Cabinet member has ever 

 served. Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1835, 

 he emigrated to America seventeen years later 

 with his parents, and settled in Connecticut. 

 In 1855 the family moved to Iowa, where 

 James attended Iowa College and later engaged 

 in farming. For three terms he was a member 

 of the state assembly, during one of which he 

 was speaker; and at two different times, from 

 1873 to 1877, and from 1883 to 1885, he served 

 in Congress. In 1870 Wilson became regent of 

 the University of Iowa, holding that post for 

 four years. Later he acted as director of the 

 Agricultural Experiment Station, and was pro- 

 fessor of agriculture at the Iowa Agricultural 

 College. In 1897, under President McKinley, 

 he became Secretary of Agriculture, a post 

 which he continued to hold in the Cabinets of 

 Presidents Roosevelt and Taft. 



For a review of the accomplishments of his pro- 

 gressive administration, consult the year Boole of 

 the Department of Agriculture for 1912. 



WILSON, JOHN (1785-1854), an essayist and 

 poet, widely known under the pen name of 

 CHRISTOPHER NORTH, was born at Paisley, Scot- 

 land. He entered the University of Glasgow 

 at the age of twelve and during six years' at- 

 imdance gained several honors for work in 

 classic literature. At Magdalen College, Ox- 

 ford, which he entered in 1803, he again pn 

 a brilliant student. He inherited a large for- 

 tune from his father, but a dishonest i 

 sipated this by reckless speculations, and Wil- 

 son moved to l-'.dinhur^h. \\ii- .ned 

 Lock hart, the son-in-law of Sir Walter Scott, in 

 writing for Block-wood's Magazine. 



In 1822 he began the famous series of essays, 

 or table talks, entitled Noctcs Ambrosia 

 which rank to-day among tin- wittiest, most 

 1'i'ilh.int and happiest essays in all literature. 

 Among his other famous contributions to tin 

 magazine were three novels, Lights and Shad- 

 owt of Scottish Life, The Trials of Mar gar, t 



