Eugene McLanahan Wilson
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Eugene McLanahan Wilson (December 25, 1833 – April 10, 1890) was an American
lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
and Democratic
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
who served in various legal and political offices in
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
including as a
member of Congress A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...
and as the fifth and seventh
mayor of Minneapolis The mayor of Minneapolis is the chief executive officer of the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, responsible for overseeing the city's administration. As the political and ceremonial leader of the city, the mayor also represents Minneapolis on the ...
.


Early life

Wilson was born in Morgantown, Monongalia County,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
(now
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
) on December 25, 1833. His father Edgar C. Wilson had been a lawyer and US representative from Virginia (as had his grandfather Thomas Wilson). On his mother's side he was the great-grandson of Isaac Griffin, also a longtime US Representative from Pennsylvania. He attended school in Morgantown and graduated from Jefferson College in 1852. He studied law, was
admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1855 and relocated to Minnesota shortly thereafter.


Career

Wilson worked in
Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...
for several years in a law practice with former classmate
William B. Mitchell William Mitchell (November 19, 1832 – August 21, 1900) was a lawyer and judge notable for his work in Minnesota as a member of the 3rd Minnesota District Courts, Minnesota District Court and Minnesota Supreme Court. He was also the first de ...
. In 1857 he was named
United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
for the
District of Minnesota The United States District Court for the District of Minnesota (in case citations, D. Minn.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Minnesota. Its two primary courthouses are in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Cases are als ...
and relocated to Minneapolis. During the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
Wilson served in the Union Army as
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
of Company A in the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. The regiment was primarily involved with the
Dakota War of 1862 The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several eastern bands of Dakota people, Da ...
. After the war, Wilson was elected to the Forty-first Congress (1869 – 1871). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1870. He resumed the practice of law, and was elected mayor of Minneapolis in 1872 and 1874. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1874 to the
Forty-fourth Congress The 44th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1875, ...
. He served as a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
in 1876 and was a member of the
Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...
in 1878 and 1879. He was an unsuccessful candidate for
Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory ...
in 1888. Wilson remained active in social as well as political affairs in Minnesota. He was twice president of the
Minneapolis Club The Minneapolis Club is a private club with its clubhouse at 729 Second Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota. History The Minneapolis Club was founded in 1883 by leading Minnesota business and civic leaders, including John Pillsbury and Charle ...
, in 1886 and 1890.


Personal life

Wilson married Elizabeth Kimball, daughter of Colonel William M. Kimball, of Minneapolis on October 6, 1865. Together, they had four children.


Death

Wilson died while on a visit to regain his health in
Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Austria * Nassau (Groß Sankt Florian), incorporated village of Groß Sankt Florian Bahamas *Nassau, The Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upp ...
,
British West Indies The British West Indies (BWI) were the territories in the West Indies under British Empire, British rule, including Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, Antigua and Barb ...
(now
The Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...
) on April 10, 1890.


Electoral history

*Minneapolis Mayoral Election, 1872 **Eugene McLanahan Wilson 2,208 **
Dorilus Morrison Dorilus Morrison (December 27, 1814 – June 26, 1897) was an American banker, businessman, and Republican politician. He was the first and third Mayor of Minneapolis and was a member of the Minnesota Senate. Life and career Morrison was born ...
1,534 *Minneapolis Mayoral Election, 1874 **Eugene McLanahan Wilson 2,533 **
George A. Brackett George Augustus Brackett (September 16, 1836 – May 17, 1921) was a businessman and Republican politician who served as the sixth mayor of Minneapolis. He was also involved in the development of the White Pass wagon road during the Klondi ...
2,147 **John H. Thompson 415


References

Retrieved on 2009-04-13 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Eugene Mclanahan 1833 births 1890 deaths Democratic Party Minnesota state senators Mayors of Minneapolis Union army officers People of Minnesota in the American Civil War Washington & Jefferson College alumni United States attorneys for the District of Minnesota Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota Burials at Lakewood Cemetery 19th-century mayors of places in Minnesota 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature