Joseph Franklin Wilson (March 18, 1901 – October 13, 1968) was a

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 ...

from

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Early years

Joseph Franklin Wilson was born in Corsicana,

Navarro County, Texas Navarro County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,624. Its county seat is Corsicana. The county is named for José Antonio Navarro, a Tejano leader in the Texas Revolution who signed th ...

, March 18, 1901. He attended the elementary school at Corsicana. In 1913, he moved with his family to the Texas Panhandle community of

Memphis, Texas Memphis is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Texas, Hall County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 2,290. History Memphis, Texas, the county seat of Hall County, is at the ju ...

in Hall County. Wilson attended the Memphis public schools until 1916. From September 1917 to June 1918, he was enrolled at Peacock Military College in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

. From September 1918 to June 1919, Wilson attended the

Tennessee Military Institute Tennessee Military Institute (TMI) was a military academy in Sweetwater, Tennessee. Sweetwater Military College The school was founded as Sweetwater Military College in 1874 by J. Lynn Bachman, a Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a hist ...

. In 1923, Wilson graduated from

Baylor Law School Baylor Law School is the oldest law school in Texas. Baylor Law School is affiliated with Baylor University and located in Waco, Texas. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931 and has been a member of the Associa ...

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 popul ...

and was admitted to the bar the same year. Wilson moved to

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

and began his law practice.

Public service

Wilson was 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 1936. He was chairman of the Dallas County Democratic Executive Committee 1942–1945. In the 1946 Texas Congressional election, Wilson defeated primary opponent Sarah T. Hughes by 14,000 votes. Hughes years later would administer the oath of office to

President Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served as ...

aboard

Air Force One Air Force One is the official air traffic control-designated Aviation call signs, call sign for a United States Air Force aircraft carrying the president of the United States. The term is commonly used to denote U.S. Air Force aircraft modifie ...

on November 22, 1963. Wilson defeated Republican L.W. Stayart in the 1946 general election. He was re-elected in 1948 by defeating Joe Bailey Irwin. In 1950 and 1952, Wilson ran unopposed for re-election. Wilson was not a candidate for renomination in 1954.

Judicial career

Wilson served as district judge of the criminal district court of Texas in 1943 and 1944, being known as Judge J. Frank Wilson. He was appointed judge of Criminal District Court No. 1, Dallas, Texas, in 1955, in which capacity he served until September 1968. During the

Jack Ruby Jack Leon Ruby (born Jacob Leon Rubenstein; March 25, 1911January 3, 1967) was an American nightclub owner who murdered Lee Harvey Oswald on November 24, 1963, two days after Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Born in Chicago, R ...

trial in Dallas, Wilson was granted a vacation so that his larger courtroom could accommodate Judge Joe B. Brown for the Ruby Trial. Wilson interrupted his vacation to fill in for the ailing Judge Brown.

Personal life

Wilson married Ruby Lee Hopkins in 1926. The couple had a son Joseph Franklin Wilson Jr, and a daughter Marion Sue. He retired due to illness and died in Dallas, Texas, October 13, 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Joseph Franklin 1901 births 1968 deaths People from Corsicana, Texas People from Memphis, Texas Politicians from Dallas Baylor Law School alumni Burials at Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery Texas state court judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 20th-century Texas state court judges 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives