Harry Wilson (Louisiana Politician)
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Harry D. Wilson (May 5, 1869 – January 7, 1948)''
Baton Rouge Morning Advocate ''The Advocate'' is Louisiana's largest daily newspaper. Based in Baton Rouge, it serves the southern portion of the state. Separate editions for New Orleans, '' The Times-Picayune The New Orleans Advocate'', for Shreveport and Bossier City, ...
'', January 8, 1948
was a Democratic politician from
Tangipahoa Parish Tangipahoa Parish () is a parish located on the southeastern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,157. The parish seat is Amite City, while the largest city is Hammond. Southeastern Louisiana ...
, one of the
Florida Parishes The Florida Parishes, on the east side of the Mississippi River—an area also known as the Northshore or Northlake region—are eight parishes in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The Florida Parishes were part of what ...
of southeastern
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
, who served from 1916 until his death as the Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry. He was the father of the humorist and chef Justin E. Wilson.


Background

Of Welsh descent, Wilson was a son of Dr. and Mrs. William D. Wilson. In 1856, Dr. Wilson had built a store in
Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
, Louisiana, which remained for years the oldest building in the community. Harry Wilson worked in the
parish seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equivalent term, shire town, is used in ...
of Amite in the
general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...
of the merchant Jacob Stern at a time when Tangipahoa Parish did not yet depend on the
strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...
crop. During the 1890s, Wilson was an express messenger for the
Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...
. He left that position to pursue a political career.


Political career

Affectionately known by voters as "Uncle Harry" or "Mister Harry", Wilson served two nonconsecutive terms in the
Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...
from 1900 to 1904 and again from 1908 to 1912. Representative Wilson led the move to establish Independence, located five miles south of Amite, as a town. In 1902 and 1903, he corresponded with
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
William Wright Heard William Wright (W. W.) Heard (April 28, 1853 - May 31, 1926) was the 32nd Governor of Louisiana from 1900 to 1904. His governorship saw the start of the Louisiana's oil and gas industry. Early life Heard was born April 28, 1853, to Stephen S. Hea ...
regarding incorporation of the community, which at the time had a population of 308. Governor Heard informed Wilson that he considered the three square miles proposed for the new town too much land for a small village and suggested that the tract be reduced. Originally named "Uncle Sam", Independence had begun in 1852 when the
New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad The New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern was a gauge railway originally commissioned by the State of Illinois, with both Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln being among its supporters in the 1851 Illinois Legislature. It connected Canton, ...
began operating through the area. Independence was finally proclaimed a town on August 22, 1912. When Ruffin Pleasant of
Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...
was elected governor in 1916, voters also chose Wilson as agriculture commissioner, a position to which he was reelected to seven times. Under Wilson, the agriculture department established the ''Market Bulletin,'' a newspaper that allowed landowners and farmers a means by which to purchase and sell agriculture-related goods and services. Wilson developed the department's seed laboratory and increased the emphasis on
entomology Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
. Later, a full-time entomologist,
Sidney McCrory Sidney Jackson McCrory (July 27, 1911 – February 27, 1985) was the Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry from 1956 to 1960 during the final term of his political ally, Governor Earl Long. He was also a key organizer in 1960 fo ...
of
Ascension Parish Ascension Parish (; ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 126,500. Its parish seat is Donaldsonville. The parish was created in 1807. Ascension Parish is part of the Baton Rouge metr ...
, was hired; McCrory was elected for a single four-year term as agriculture commissioner in 1956. Wilson established an agricultural museum in the basement of the
Louisiana State Capitol The Louisiana State Capitol () is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Louisiana and is located in downtown Baton Rouge. The capitol houses the chambers for the Louisiana State Legislature, made up of the House of Representatives and the ...
in
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
. For twenty-two years Wilson was the chairman of the Southern Commissioners of Agriculture Association. Wilson was an organizer of the Cotton Consumption Council and a president of the
interest group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...
with an unusual name, the Association for the Increased Use of Cotton. On June 19, 1933,
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
Bolivar Edwards Kemp, Sr., of Louisiana's 6th congressional district, died unexpectedly of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
at his home in Amite. His seat ordinarily would have been filled through a special primary and general election. Governor Oscar K. Allen waited until December 1933 to declare that a
special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...
would be held eight days from the date of his announcement. Allen named Kemp's widow, the former Esther Edwards Conner, known as "Lallie" Kemp, as the "unopposed" Democratic nominee. Many protested Allen's announcement, and ballots were destroyed or burned in several locations within the district. After state election officials nevertheless declared Lallie Kemp the winner of the special election, a committee of citizens staged a "revolt election", won by Jared Y. Sanders, Jr., of Baton Rouge, the son of former Governor Jared Y. Sanders, Sr., and supported by district
conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...
and anti-
Long Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...
elements. In January 1934, Mrs. Kemp and Sanders presented their competing claims to the U. S. House. The
United States House Committee on Elections The United States House Committee on Elections is a former standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Article 1, section 5, of the Constitution of the United States specifies: "Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, ...
refused to seat either candidate, and the full House concurred by voice vote. Lallie Kemp declined to run in the subsequent May 1, 1934, special election. It is unclear why Governor Allen waited so long to call the first special election, which led to even greater delay became of the controversy over the guidelines for the election. In the special election, Sanders defeated Kemp's replacement candidate, Agriculture Commissioner Harry Wilson. In the 1940 state elections, Wilson won while running on the
Earl Kemp Long Earl Kemp Long (August 26, 1895 – September 5, 1960) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Louisiana on three occasions (1939–1940, 1948–1952, and 1956–1960). A member of the Democratic Party, he held the ...
ticket Ticket or tickets may refer to: Slips of paper * Lottery ticket * Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start) * Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a to ...
. He defeated Charles O'Brien, the candidate supported by
Sam H. Jones Samuel Houston Jones (July 15, 1897 – February 8, 1978) was an American lawyer and 46th Governor of Louisiana for the term from 1940 to 1944. He defeated the renowned Earl Kemp Long in the 1940 Democratic runoff primary election. Eight years ...
, who unseated Long in the gubernatorial runoff contest that year. Lallie Kemp, who died in 1943, was appointed in 1937 by Governor Richard Leche to the Louisiana Hospital Board. She is honored by the naming of the medical center, a critical access hospital, in Independence.


Legacy

Wilson took much comfort in his roots in his hometown of Independence. On his death bed in the Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in
Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...
, he regained consciousness after a week in a coma and told his nurse, "Turn me toward Tangipahoa..." A genealogical website indicates that Wilson did not die in Baton Rouge but in Amite; if so, he must have been released from the hospital and sent home for his final few days. Wilson was succeeded in the office on an interim basis by his long-term assistant, Millard Perkins, who did not seek the position in the 1948 election instead won by W. E. Anderson, also of Tangipahoa Parish. Anderson died in office in 1952 before he could begin his second elected term. Andedrson was succeeded by
Dave L. Pearce Dave may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the 1993 film * ''Dave'' (TV series), a 2020 American comedy series * ...
of Oak Grove in
West Carroll Parish West Carroll Parish () is a parish located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,751. The parish seat is Oak Grove. The parish was founded in 1877, when Carroll Parish was di ...
, originally appointed to the vacancy by Governor Earl Long. Justin Wilson, the best known of the Wilson children, was the second youngest of four daughters and three sons of Harry Wilson and his wife, the former Olivette Mintern Toadvin (1880-1976), who was of French descent and known as Olivet Wilson. Justin was born in Roseland near Amite. Justin's older sister, Minette Wilson Kemp, was the wife of
Bolivar Edwards Kemp, Jr. Bolivar Edwards Kemp Jr. (September 23, 1904 – October 27, 1965), was the attorney general of Louisiana from 1948 to 1952 during the administration of Louisiana Governor Earl Kemp Long. A Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may re ...
, the
state attorney general The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the District of Columbia, federal district, or of any of the Territories of the United States, territories is the chief legal advisor to the State governments of the United States, sta ...
from 1948 to 1952. It was his mother, an expert in the improvisation of meals, who taught Justin how to cook. Olivet Wilson was also a composer and pianist of instrumental music who was still performing on occasion into her nineties. Harry Wilson is interred at Amite Cemetery. alongside his wife. Justin Wilson is interred at the Saint William Catholic Cemetery in Port Vincent in
Livingston Parish Livingston Parish (, ) is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its parish seat is the town of Livingston. Livingston Parish is one of the Florida Parishes; unlike the rest of the state, the region was part of the Spanish Empire, rather tha ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Harry (Louisiana politician) 1869 births 1948 deaths Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives Louisiana commissioners of agriculture and forestry People from Independence, Louisiana Politicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Farmers from Louisiana American people of Welsh descent Kemp family 20th-century members of the Louisiana State Legislature