Edgar Wilson (February 25, 1861 – January 3, 1915) was 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

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. Born in Armstrong County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Wilson graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, and headed west and became an attorney in

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

. He was elected city attorney in 1887 and district attorney in 1888 and was a member of the state's constitutional convention prior to statehood in 1890. Wilson served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

in the House from 1895 to 1897 and as a

Silver Republican The Silver Republican Party, later known as the Lincoln Republican Party, was a United States political party from 1896 to 1901. It was so named because it split from the Republican Party by supporting free silver (effectively, expansionary moneta ...

from 1899 to 1901, representing the state at-large.

Early life and family

Edgar Wilson was born February 25, 1861, to parents Ellen and Matthew Wilson. His family included two sisters and a brother. Edgar's father, Matthew Wilson, joined the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

in 1862, and one account suggests he was wounded and captured at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, in 1863. He was promoted to captain while in prison, and he died a prisoner at

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Prison ...

in 1864. Another account is that Matthew Wilson was captured in the Battle of Turner's Gap in 1862, was taken to Libby Prison then moved to

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

where he died of insufficient rations, inadequate clothing, and the deprivations of confinement 10 months after capture. Edgar Wilson would have been either two or three years old when his father died. Wilson attended the

and graduated with an LL.B. degree in law in 1884. In 1890 he married Laura Da Shiell, and the couple raised two children in Boise, Laura and Maurice Edgar.

Career

After graduating from law school, Edgar Wilson moved to Boise,

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory w ...

, and with

Fremont Wood Fermont Wood (1856–1940) was an American lawyer and government official who served as the United States Attorney for Idaho Territory from 1889 to 1894. Previous to this he served as the Assistant District Attorney for Idaho Territory from 1881 ...

he formed the law firm of Wood & Wilson in 1884. Wilson became Boise City attorney in 1887, and he was elected

Ada County Ada County is located in the southwestern part of Idaho, United States. As of the 2021 United States census estimate, the county had a population of 511,931, making it by far the state's most populous county; it is home to 26.8% of the state's p ...

district attorney in 1888. In 1889 he was elected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of Idaho. By this time, Wilson had become an accomplished orator, and some of his speeches to local organizations were printed in the ''Idaho Statesman''. In 1892 Wilson served as chairman of Idaho's Republican State Central Committee, and in 1894 the committee promoted

William Borah William Edgar Borah (June 29, 1865 – January 19, 1940) was an outspoken History of the United States Republican Party, Republican United States Senator, one of the best-known figures in History of Idaho, Idaho's history. A Progressivism ...

for Congress. When Borah declined the nomination, Wilson replaced him, and that year Wilson was elected as Idaho's only representative in Congress. At the time, Idaho's population count was 84,385 persons. While in Congress, Wilson supported legislation to fund a federal building in Idaho, and he introduced measures providing for survey and irrigation of the Idaho desert for agricultural purposes. He also promoted funding for a soldiers' home in southern Idaho, and he supported an expanded version of the

McKinley Tariff The Tariff Act of 1890, commonly called the McKinley Tariff, was an act of the United States Congress, framed by then Representative William McKinley, that became law on October 1, 1890. The tariff raised the average duty on imports to almost fift ...

that would benefit Idaho's mining interests. Toward the end of his first term in Congress, Wilson joined the

Silver Republican Party The Silver Republican Party, later known as the Lincoln Republican Party, was a United States political party from 1896 to 1901. It was so named because it split from the Republican Party by supporting free silver (effectively, expansionary monet ...

, and he unsuccessfully sought election to the Idaho Supreme Court. Returning to Boise in 1897, Wilson promoted expansion of the railroad to include Boise, and he supported extension of the new Boise sewer lines. He ran for Congress again in 1898 and easily won election on the Fusion Ticket. His committee assignments related to public lands, mines and mining, and irrigation. After his term ended in 1901, he did not seek office again in federal or state elections. Wilson became a farmer in 1894, setting 50 acres of apple trees and later raising cattle. In 1898, he presented a paper, the Apple Orchard, to the Idaho State Horticultural Society. In 1901 he became vice president of the Southern Idaho Fruit Growers Association, and he negotiated rates for refrigerated rail car freight. Among his other accomplishments, he organized the Boise Bank of Commerce and worked for other banking interests, and he served as president of the Boise school board. In 1900 he arranged a shipment of Idaho fruit to the Paris Exposition. A frequent voice at city council meetings, Wilson successfully lobbied for

macadam Macadam is a type of road construction, pioneered by Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam around 1820, in which crushed stone is placed in shallow, convex layers and compacted thoroughly. A binding layer of stone dust (crushed stone from the o ...

ized streets in Boise. In 1905 Wilson attempted to change the name of the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

to Shoshonee, partly because "...the name Snake is repulsive, and the name of Shosho-nee is smooth and musical..."

Descriptions of Edgar Wilson

* "He is a commanding personage of a cheerful countenance and a rapid speaker, more inclined to state facts, as he sees them than any profound reasoning." * "Edgar Wilson is confined to his house by an attack of something like grip." * "It usually takes a new member half of his first term to catch on to the ways of congress. Mr. Wilson appeared to be right at home from the first. He has been 'heard from' far more frequently than would be expected of a new member, serving in the first session of his first term." * "Mr. Wilson, one of Boise's best-known lawyers and ex-congressman, has been drinking heavily for several months and was to have had a hearing before the judge on the charge of being a chronic drunkard, the penalty for which is a to the state insane hospital ..Wilson adds another testimonial to the way strong drink can everlastingly blight the future of a man who otherwise would be a good example to the community."

Alcoholism and death

In 1913 Wilson shot and wounded a deputy sheriff who discovered Wilson had a gun while in custody awaiting a hearing and judgement of his mental condition. After the hearing, Wilson was committed to the state asylum for two years, although he was released early in 1914. He then moved to Salt Lake City. In August, 1914, Laura Wilson filed for divorce in Boise, and Edgar Wilson returned to Boise later that year to contest. While staying at the Owyhee Hotel, he developed a cold followed by pneumonia. He died January 3, 1915, in his hotel room. After the death of her husband, Laura Wilson successfully contested his will, which left nothing to her nor to her son, Maurice Edgar Wilson. Evidence of her husband's longtime struggle with alcohol and drugs was presented along with allegations of marital infidelity, and family and friends testified that Edgar Wilson had become irrational, erratic, and mentally unsound. In 1915 Laura Wilson donated her husband's library of 850 books to the

College of Idaho The College of Idaho (C of I) is a private liberal arts college in Caldwell, Idaho. Founded in 1891, it is the state's oldest private liberal arts college and has an enrollment of over 1,000 students. The college's alumni include eight Rhode ...

. In 1977 the Edgar Wilson House (1904), 103 E Warm Springs Ave, became a contributing resource of Boise's West Warm Springs Historic District. The house was later demolished.

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