Robert "Honest Bob" Wilson (1793 1856) was a land speculator and politician in

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 life

Robert Wilson was born in

Talbot County, Maryland Talbot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,526. Its county seat is Easton. The county was named for Lady Grace Talbot, the wife of Sir Robert Talbot, an Anglo- Irish statesma ...

, on December 7, 1792, to James and Elizabeth (Hardcastle) Wilson. Robert received some schooling and learned a variety of skills in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, including carpentry, machining, and running boilers. He joined the military service of the United States during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Career and personal life

Wilson fought in the Battle of 1812. In 1819, Wilson married Margaret Prendergrast, after which they moved to

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

. Robert Wilson ran for the presidency of the Republic of Texas in 1838. Initially he was engaged in a four-way race with Vice-President

Mirabeau Lamar Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar (August 16, 1798 – December 19, 1859) was an American attorney, politician, poet, and leading political figure during the Texas Republic era. He was elected as the second president of the Republic of Texas after Sa ...

, Peter Grayson, and

James Collinsworth James Thompson Collinsworth (1802 – July 11, 1838) was an American-born Texan lawyer and political figure in early history of the Republic of Texas. Early life Collinsworth was born in 1802 Davidson County, Tennessee. His father, Edward Colli ...

, but Grayson committed suicide on July 9, 1838, and Collingsworth drowned in

Galveston Bay Galveston Bay ( ) is a bay in the western Gulf of Mexico along the upper coast of Texas. It is the seventh-largest estuary in the United States, and the largest of seven major estuaries along the Texas Gulf Coast. It is connected to the Gulf of ...

two days later. Lamar won the race by a

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

, 6,987 votes to 252 for Wilson.

Death and legacy

Wilson died on May 25, 1858, and he is interred at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston. Wilson's son, James Theodore Wilson, was a two-term

mayor of Houston The following is a list of people who have served as mayor of the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Qualifications, election, and terms To file to run for mayor, a person must be a qualified voter of the city of Houston, and have h ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Robert 1793 births 1856 deaths Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas) Republic of Texas senators