James Caldwell Willson (April 28, 1833 – August 29, 1912) was a Michigan politician.
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Early life

On April 28, 1833, Willson was born in

Fitzroy Harbour, Ontario Fitzroy Harbour is a small village within the city of Ottawa in eastern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Ottawa River at the mouth of the Carp River (Ottawa), Carp River. A branch of the Mississippi River (Ontario), Mississippi River, known a ...

. Going to New York, he attended a district school and taught for a year. Moving on to

Olean, New York Olean ( ) is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. Olean is the largest city in Cattaraugus County and serves as its financial, business, transportation and entertainment center. It is one of the principal cities of the Southern ...

, he was involved in making

daguerreotypes Daguerreotype (; french: daguerréotype) was the first publicly available photographic process; it was widely used during the 1840s and 1850s. "Daguerreotype" also refers to an image created through this process. Invented by Louis Daguerre an ...

. In the fall of 1855, Willson move to

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

to study at 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 ...

medical department. In 1857, he started practicing medicine in the office of Dr. R. D. Lamond in Flint. Returning in 1858 to the University, Willson graduated in 1859 with a Doctor of Medicine degree. Back in Flint, he joined his cousin's, Dr. George B. Willson, practice. He serve as a Union Army

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. In 1861, he was a surgeon to the Tenth Michigan Infantry. Willson was transfer to the Eight Michigan Infantry. He was honorable discharged in March 1863 because of ill health. On May 18, 1865, he married Rhoda Crapo, daughter of Governor

Henry H. Crapo Henry Howland Crapo (pronounced ''Cray-poe''; May 24, 1804 – July 23, 1869) was a businessman and politician who was the List of Governors of Michigan, 14th Governor of Michigan from 1865–1869, during the end of the American Civil War and th ...

. That same year, he was sent to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

as the appointed Michigan military agent. Willson joined and was active in two Civil War organizations: the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

and the Loyal Legion. On the death of Henry Crapo, the Willsons moved into the Crapo Mansion in Flint at First and Clifford (now Wallenberg Street) Streets, now known as Willson Park and part of the

University of Michigan–Flint The University of Michigan–Flint (UM-Flint, UMF) is a public university in Flint, Michigan. It is one of the two regional universities operating under the policies of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, the other being the University ...

Campus.

Political life

He was elected as the twentieth

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the City of Flint in 1879 serving a 1-year term. Additional, from 1881 to 1884, Willson served on the City of Flint School Board. As a trustee for the Michigan School for the Deaf, Willson served a six-year term.

Post-political life

Willson became involved in businesses serving as Flint Gas Company's and Genesee County Savings Bank's president. His wife died on May 8, 1907 and buried in Glenwood Cemetery. James C. Willson died in Flint on August 29, 1912.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Willson, James C. 1833 births 1912 deaths Mayors of Flint, Michigan Michigan Republicans University of Michigan Medical School alumni People from Olean, New York Politicians from Ottawa Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Flint, Michigan)