Earl Wilson (April 18, 1906 – April 27, 1990) was an American educator and politician who served 11 terms as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

during the mid-20th century.

Biography

He was born on a farm near

Huron, Indiana Huron (formerly Fenter) is an unincorporated community in Spice Valley Township, Lawrence County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. History Huron was platted in 1859. It was named after Huron, Ohio. On September 16, 1861, during the American Civil W ...

and attended public schools there. He attended

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

and received degrees from Coyne Electrical School of Chicago, Illinois in 1928 and

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...

in 1931. He taught high school in Dubois,

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, and Decautur Counties between 1931 and 1938 and as a high school principal in Jackson County 1939–1940.

Political career

Wilson decided to enter politics and in 1940 he narrowly defeated

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

Democrat incumbent

Eugene B. Crowe Eugene Burgess Crowe (January 5, 1878 – May 12, 1970) was an American businessman and politician who served five terms as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1931 to 1941. Biography Born near Jeffersonville, Indiana, Crowe attended the ...

71,624–69,227 and was elected as the Republican Representative for

Indiana's 9th congressional district Indiana's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. Located in south-central and southeastern Indiana, the district stretches from the south suburbs of Indianapolis to the Indiana side of the Louisvill ...

. He served in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

until 1958, when he was defeated by

Earl Hogan Earl Lee Hogan (March 13, 1920 – June 3, 2007) was an American World War II veteran who served a term as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1959 to 1961. He was born and died in Hope, Indiana. Early life Hogan attended public school ...

for reelection. In 1960, he defeated Hogan and was returned to Congress in 1961. Wilson won reelection in 1962.]. In 1964 Wilson was defeated for reelection by Democrat Lee Hamilton 74,939 – 62,780. Wilson did not vote in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

, despite voting in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...

in the first House vote on February 10, 1964. However, he voted present on the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. While in Congress, Wilson was influential in moving

Samuel Woodfill Samuel Woodfill (January 6, 1883 – August 10, 1951) was a major in the United States Army. He was a veteran of the Philippine–American War, World War I, and World War II. Woodfill was one of the most celebrated American soldiers of the early ...

's body from Madison, Indiana to

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Later career and death

After his loss to Hamilton in 1964 Wilson was elected to the

Indiana State Senator The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...

serving there from 1969 to 1976. He was a resident of Bedford, Indiana, until his death on April 27, 1990.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Earl 1906 births 1990 deaths Indiana University alumni Republican Party Indiana state senators People from Bedford, Indiana 20th-century American politicians Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana