George A. Wilson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromIowa | |
| In office January 14, 1943 – January 3, 1949 | |
| Preceded by | Clyde L. Herring |
| Succeeded by | Guy Gillette |
| 28th Governor of Iowa | |
| In office January 12, 1939 – January 14, 1943 | |
| Lieutenant | Bourke B. Hickenlooper |
| Preceded by | Nelson G. Kraschel |
| Succeeded by | Bourke B. Hickenlooper |
| Member of theIowa Senate from the 30th district | |
| In office January 10, 1927 – December 20, 1936 | |
| Preceded by | William J. Goodwin |
| Succeeded by | James J. Gillespie |
| Polk County District Court Judge | |
| In office December 1917[1] – January 1, 1920[1] | |
| Preceded by | Charles Ashman Dudley[2][3] |
| Succeeded by | J.D. Wallinford[1] |
| Polk County Attorney | |
| In office 1915–1916 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas J. Guthrie[4] |
| AssistantPolk County Attorney | |
| In office 1912–1914 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Allison Wilson (1884-04-01)April 1, 1884 Menlo, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | September 8, 1953(1953-09-08) (aged 69) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Grinnell College University of Iowa (LLB) |
George Allison Wilson (April 1, 1884 – September 8, 1953) was an American politician and lawyer. He was aUnited States Senator and28th Governor of Iowa.[5][6][7][8]
Born on a farm nearMenlo, Iowa, last child of James Henderson Wilson, a Civil War veteran and Iowa State Railroad Commissioner, and Martha Green (Varley) Wilson.[5][6][7][8] His father died in November 1916 while in office as Railroad Commissioner while visiting Washington, D.C. He attended rural schools, thenGrinnell College inGrinnell, Iowa and finally graduated from theUniversity of Iowa College of Law atIowa City in 1907.[5][6][7][8] He was admitted to the bar in 1907.[5][6][7][8] He then commenced practice inDes Moines.[5][6][7][8]
On December 8, 1921, he married Mildred E. Zehner and they had 4 children, 3 sons served inWorld War II.[6][7]
Wilson's initial exposure to the Iowa Senate happened in 1898, aged just 14, when he got a job as a Page.[7] He would then go on to be an Assistant Secretary of the Senate from 1906 to 1909 and then Secretary of the Senate in 1911.[6][7]
He was assistant county attorney ofPolk County, Iowa from 1912 to 1914 and the Polk County Attorney from 1915 to 1916.[5][6][7][8]
Judge Charles Dudley, of the Polk County District Court, was in the middle of reading jury instructions when he was taken ill by a complication of kidney disease, which ultimately lead to his death.[2] GovernorHarding appointed Wilson to fill the vacant seat for the remainder of Dudley's term.[3] He was then elected as district judge in 1918 and stayed on the bench until his resignation on January 1, 1921, to resume practicing law.[1][5][6][7][8]
He later was a member of theIowa Senate from 1927 to 1936.[5][6][7][8]
In1936, Iowa's governor, DemocratClyde Herring, ran for the U.S. Senate instead of running for re-election.[9] Wilson won the Republican primary by 20,000 votes.[10] He was just barely defeated by DemocratNelson G. Kraschel in the general election by 2,431 votes out of over one million cast.[5][9]
In1938, Wilson again ran against Kraschel, with the opposite result.[5][6][11] Wilson won by 59,282 votes.[5][7][8][12]
Wilson was then re-elected as governor in1940, winning by 66,539 votes in the general election over Democrat John Valentine after overcoming a surprisingly strong challenge in the Republican primary from future CongressmanH.R. Gross.[5][6][7][8][13][14]
At the beginning of his tenure, he eliminated the state Board of Control because of their failure and neglect toward the state's 15 prisons.[7] New Departments created were a Tax Commission, Department of Public Safety, and a committee regarding State Industry and Defense.[7] Also during his tenure, social welfare was reconstructed and a teacher tenure bill was passed.[7] Additionally, the reapportionment of the State Legislature was authorized.[5]
Instead of running for a third term in1942, Wilson decided to challenge SenatorClyde L. Herring in the1942 United States Senate race.[5][7][8][15][16][17] He won by 115,189 votes, and served in the Senate from January 14, 1943, to January 3, 1949.[5][7] His Senate committees included theSmall Business Committee, theArmed Services Committee and theAgriculture Committee.[6][7]
In1948, former U.S. SenatorGuy M. Gillette, unseated in his own bid for re-election in1944,[18][19][20] ran against Wilson in the general election.[7][21] Wilson was expected to win. However, in a year in which PresidentHarry S. Truman and many other Democrats surprised pundits, Gillette defeated Wilson by 162,448 votes.[7][8][22][23][24]
After leaving the Senate in early 1949, Wilson returned to practicing law with his son, George.[7][8]
In 1964, theWilson Island State Recreation Area was named after him.[25]
Wilson died at Mercy Hospital[4] in Des Moines during a surgery for a malignant throat tumor[4] in 1953 and was buried at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines.[5][6][7][8]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nomineeGovernor of Iowa 1936,1938,1940 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forUnited States Senator fromIowa (Class 2) 1942,1948 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Iowa 1939–1943 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Iowa 1943–1949 Served alongside:Guy Mark Gillette, Bourke Hickenlooper | Succeeded by |
| Territorial(1838–1846) | ||
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| State(since 1846) | ||
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
