James Clifton Wilson (June 21, 1874 – August 3, 1951) 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

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Education and career

Wilson was born on June 21, 1874, in Palo Pinto, Palo Pinto County,

. He attended the public schools and graduated from

Weatherford College Weatherford College (WC; officially Weatherford College of the Parker County Junior College District) is a public community college in Weatherford, Texas, with branch campuses in nearby Wise County, and Granbury. Organization and administrati ...

in 1889. He received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from

University of Texas School of Law The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the law school of the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Law is consistently ranked as one of the top law schools in the United States and is highly selective—registering the 8th lowest ac ...

in 1896 and 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 ...

the same year. He was in private practice of law in Weatherford, Texas from 1896 to 1902. He was an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney of Parker County, Texas from 1898 to 1900. He was the Prosecuting Attorney of Parker County from 1902 to 1912. He served as Chairman of the Democratic county executive committee, from 1908 to 1912. After moving to

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, Texas, he was an Assistant District Attorney of

Tarrant County Tarrant County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County, one of 2 ...

, Texas from 1912 to 1913. He was the

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 Texas from 1913 to 1917.

Congressional service

Wilson was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

of the 65th and

66th United States Congress The 66th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1919, to Ma ...

es but only served in the 65th Congress from March 4, 1917, to March 3, 1919. He did not take his seat in the 66th Congress, instead accepting a federal judicial post.

Federal judicial service

Wilson received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the advi ...

from President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

on March 5, 1919, to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, to a new seat authorized by 40 Stat. 1183. He was nominated to the same position by President Wilson on May 23, 1919. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on June 24, 1919, and received his commission the same day. He assumed

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

on July 31, 1947. His service terminated on August 3, 1951, due to his death in Fort Worth. He was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery in Fort Worth. In 1957, he was reinterred at Greenwood Memorial Park in Fort Worth.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, James Clifton 1874 births 1951 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas United States district court judges appointed by Woodrow Wilson 20th-century American judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas United States Attorneys for the Northern District of Texas