Emmett Wilson (September 17, 1882 – May 29, 1918) 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

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. He was the grandson of Augustus Emmett Maxwell. Wilson was born during the temporary residence of his parents at

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, wh ...

, British Honduras. Wilson moved with his parents to

Chipley, Florida Chipley is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Florida, Washington County, Florida, United States, located between Tallahassee, Florida, Tallahassee and Pensacola, Florida, Pensacola. Its population was 3,605 in the 2010 U.S. Census ...

, where he attended the public schools and Florida State College at

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

. He was employed as a railroad telegrapher and later as a stenographer and was graduated from the law department of the

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...

at DeLand in 1904. Admitted to the bar the same year, he commenced practice in

Marianna, Florida Marianna is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Florida, United States, and it is home to Chipola College. The population was 6,102 at the 2010 census. In 2018 the estimated population was 7,091. The official nickname of Marianna is ...

. He later moved to

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

, in 1906 and continued the practice of law. Wilson was appointed assistant

United States attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the northern district of Florida February 1, 1907, and United States attorney for the same district October 7, 1907. He held the position until March 1909. He was the state’s attorney for the first judicial circuit of Florida 1911-1913 and was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses (March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1917). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1916. After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law in Pensacola, Florida and died there in 1918. He was buried in St. John’s Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Emmett 1882 births 1918 deaths Florida State University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida People from Pensacola, Florida 20th-century American politicians 19th-century American politicians Stetson University College of Law alumni People from Belize City Belizean emigrants to the United States People from Chipley, Florida United States Attorneys for the Northern District of Florida