William Henry Wilson (December 6, 1877 – August 11, 1937) was a Republican lawyer and member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Early life and career

William H. Wilson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 6, 1877. He graduated from the law department of the University of Pennsylvania in 1898 and was subsequently admitted to the bar in 1899. Wilson's first foray into politics was his tenure as assistant city solicitor from 1900 to 1909. He was then elected to two terms in the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

and served from 1913 until his resignation on December 28, 1915. He served as director of public safety in Philadelphia from 1916 to 1920. Wilson married Florence Klauder in 1902, and they had their only child, Dorthea, in 1905. By 1930, Wilson had moved to

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

with his wife and daughter. However, he moved back to Philadelphia and then ran for Congress in

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

Congress

Wilson was elected to Congress in 1934, defeating

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 ...

James P. McGranery James Patrick McGranery (July 8, 1895 – December 23, 1962) was a United States representative from Pennsylvania, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Attorney General of ...

. The seat was open because its previous representative, Republican James M. Beck, resigned in protest of the New Deal. However, two years later, McGranery ran again and defeated Wilson, riding off the coattails of the very popular Franklin D. Roosevelt. In Congress, Wilson cast 173 votes. During those votes, Wilson sided with his party 91 percent of the time, noticeably higher than his party's average during that Congress of 87 percent. He was rated as more conservative than 96 percent of the 74th Congress at-large, and more conservative than 87 percent of fellow Republicans in the House. Despite his conservatism, he voted for the

Social Security Act of 1935 The Social Security Act of 1935 is a law enacted by the 74th United States Congress and signed into law by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The law created the Social Security program as well as insurance against unemployment. The law was pa ...

, likely the most consequential vote of his legislative career. Wilson had one committee assignment during his term, the

House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures The United States Congress has operated with more than 1500 standing, special, select, or joint committees over the years. , United States Senate Historical Office. June 2008. Most of these committees are now defunct. In some cases, their ...

Later life and death

After leaving Congress in 1937, Wilson returned to practicing law. Later that year, he moved to

Montecito, California Montecito (Spanish for "Little mountain") is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California.McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. p. 58. . Located ...

, where he planned to build a new home. However, before the house was built, he had a sudden heart attack, passing away at age 59. Wilson was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

Electoral history

, + Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district: Results 1934–1936 ! Year ! ! Subject ! Party ! Votes ! % ! ! Opponent ! Party ! Votes ! % , - ,

, , , , William H. Wilson , , Republican , , 44,478 , , 54.71 , , , ,

, , Democratic , , 36,212 , , 44.55 , - ,

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

, , , , William H. Wilson (inc.) , , Republican , , 41,267 , , 37.53 , , , , James P. McGranery , , Democratic , , 65,779 , , 59.82

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, William Henry 1877 births 1937 deaths Politicians from Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania