Stephen Fowler Wilson (September 4, 1821 – March 30, 1897) was an American lawyer, politician and judge from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district from 1865 to 1869. He also served as a member of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealt ...

for the 1st district from 1863 to 1865.

Early life and education

Wilson was born in Columbia Township, Pennsylvania the youngest of seven children born to George and Jane Wilson. He studied law under the Honorable James Lowrey and in 1845 was admitted to the Tioga County bar. He practiced law for almost 25 years. He was originally a Democrat but switched to a Republican when that party was founded. He held several local offices.

Career

He was a member of the

for the 1st district from 1863 to 1865 and served in one session after he had been elected a Representative to Congress. He was a delegate to the

1864 Republican National Convention The 1864 National Union National Convention was the United States presidential nominating convention of the National Union Party, which was a name adopted by the main faction of the Republican Party in a coalition with many, if not most, War De ...

. Wilson was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Congresses. He was appointed additional judge of the fourth judicial district of Pennsylvania in 1871 to fill a vacancy. He was elected additional judge and served ten years. He was appointed associate justice of the supreme court of the

Territory of New Mexico The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomin ...

by President Chester A. Arthur on October 16, 1884. He was president judge of the fourth judicial district of Pennsylvania from 1887 to 1889. He resumed the practice of law in

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania Wellsboro is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The borough was founded by Benjamin Wistar Morris. It is located northwest of Williamsport. The population was 3,472 at the 2020 census. Early in the 20th century, Wellsboro was the shipp ...

, where he died in 1897. Interment in Wellsboro Cemetery in

Notes

Sources

The Political Graveyard
, - 1821 births 1897 deaths 19th-century American politicians New Mexico Territory judges Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania state court judges Republican Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Bradford County, Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers {{Pennsylvania-state-judge-stub