Joseph Franklin Wilson (March 18, 1901 – October 13, 1968) was a

U.S. 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 c ...

from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Early years

Joseph Franklin Wilson was born in Corsicana,

Navarro County, Texas Navarro County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,624. Its county seat is Corsicana. The county is named for José Antonio Navarro, a Tejano leader in the Texas Revolution who signed th ...

, March 18, 1901. He attended the elementary school at Corsicana. In 1913, he moved with his family to the

Texas Panhandle The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a square-shaped area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east. It is adjacent to ...

community of

Memphis, Texas Memphis is a city and the county seat of Hall County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,290. History Memphis, Texas, the county seat of Hall County, is at the junction of U.S. Highway 287, State Highway 256, ...

in Hall County. Wilson attended the Memphis public schools until 1916. From September 1917 to June 1918, he was enrolled at Peacock Military College in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. From September 1918 to June 1919, Wilson attended the

Tennessee Military Institute Tennessee Military Institute (TMI) was a military academy in Sweetwater, Tennessee. Sweetwater Military College The school was founded as Sweetwater Military College in 1874 by J. Lynn Bachman, a Presbyterian minister, with the avowed purpose o ...

. In 1923, Wilson graduated from

Baylor Law School Baylor Law School is the oldest law school in Texas. Baylor Law School is affiliated with Baylor University and located in Waco, Texas. The school has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931 and has been a member of the Associat ...

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

and was admitted to the bar the same year. Wilson moved to

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

and began his law practice.

Public service

Wilson was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1936. He was chairman of the Dallas County Democratic Executive Committee 1942–1945. In the 1946 Texas Congressional election, Wilson defeated primary opponent

Sarah T. Hughes Sarah Tilghman Hughes (August 2, 1896 – April 23, 1985) was an American lawyer and federal judge who served on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She is best known as the judge who swore in Lyndon B. Johnson ...

by 14,000 votes. Hughes years later would administer the oath of office to President Lyndon B. Johnson aboard Air Force One on November 22, 1963. Wilson defeated Republican L.W. Stayart in the 1946 general election. He was re-elected in 1948 by defeating Joe Bailey Irwin. In 1950 and 1952, Wilson ran unopposed for re-election. Wilson was not a candidate for renomination in 1954.

Judicial career

Wilson served as district judge of the criminal district court of Texas in 1943 and 1944, being known as Judge J. Frank Wilson. He was appointed judge of Criminal District Court No. 1, Dallas, Texas, in 1955, in which capacity he served until September 1968. During the Jack Ruby trial in Dallas, Wilson was granted a vacation so that his larger courtroom could accommodate Judge Joe B. Brown for the Ruby Trial. Wilson interrupted his vacation to fill in for the ailing Judge Brown.

Personal life

Wilson married Ruby Lee Hopkins in 1926. The couple had a son Joseph Franklin Wilson Jr, and a daughter Marion Sue. He retired due to illness and died in Dallas, Texas, October 13, 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Joseph Franklin 1901 births 1968 deaths People from Corsicana, Texas People from Memphis, Texas Politicians from Dallas Baylor Law School alumni Burials at Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery Texas state court judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 20th-century American judges 20th-century American politicians