Thomas Wilson (September 11, 1765January 24, 1826) 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

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 ...

, father of Edgar Campbell Wilson and grandfather of Eugene McLanahan Wilson.

Early life

Wilson was born in Staunton in the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...

, and studied law there.

Career

He 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 ...

on September 21, 1789, and commenced practice in Morgantown, Virginia (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 ...

). He served as member of the

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

from 1792 to 1795 and in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

in 1799 and 1800. He was again a member of the

1800–1804. Wilson was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

to the Twelfth Congress (March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813) defeating Democratic-Republican William McKinley. He was again a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1816 and 1817, after which he resumed the practice of law.

Death

He died in Morgantown, Virginia (now

) on January 24, 1826, and was interred in Oak Grove Cemetery in Morgantown.

Sources

1765 births 1826 deaths Politicians from Morgantown, West Virginia Virginia lawyers Virginia state senators Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American lawyers Lawyers from Morgantown, West Virginia Burials at Oak Grove Cemetery (Morgantown, West Virginia) 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 18th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly {{Virginia-politician-stub