William Warfield Wilson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wilson,c. 1902 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's3rd district | |
| In office March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1921 | |
| Preceded by | George E. Gorman |
| Succeeded by | Elliott W. Sproul |
| In office March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | George Peter Foster |
| Succeeded by | George E. Gorman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1868-03-02)March 2, 1868 Ohio, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | July 22, 1942(1942-07-22) (aged 74) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
William Warfield Wilson (March 2, 1868 – July 22, 1942) was aU.S. representative fromIllinois.
Born inOhio, Illinois, Wilson attended public schools, and theUniversity of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He graduated from theChicago-Kent College of Law in 1893. He wasadmitted to the bar the same year and commenced practice inChicago, Illinois.
Wilson was elected as aRepublican to theFifty-eighth and to the four succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1913).[1] He was not successful as candidate for election in 1912 to theSixty-third Congress.
Wilson was elected to theSixty-fourth,Sixty-fifth, andSixty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1921). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1920[2]
He was appointed general counsel of theOffice of Alien Property Custodian of theUnited States Department of Justice in 1922, serving until 1927. In a memorandum written in 1924, Wilson condemned "acts of spoliation" that occurred in 1919-1920, first, under the watch ofA. Mitchell Palmer, and then — his successor,Francis Patrick Garvan,
Lawyers dipped into the funds of the Alien Property Custodian to a shameful extent. ... Valuable properties were sold for a trifling consideration. ... The only advantage gained was by the purchasers, many of them friends of the Alien Property Custodian, who profited by getting large assets for inadequate prices. But the most shameful and inexcusable acts occurred after the Armistice. ... The opportunity to get something for nothing under the guise of patriotism induced wholesale conveyances of the property in the hands of the Custodian during 1919. Such sales could have no effect on the war, and were pure acts of spoliation. ... In this respect commercial "hostilities" were carried on down through 1920 for the profit of a few private individuals at the expense of the United States Treasury and of the national integrity.[3]
After retiring from the Office of Alien Property Custodian, Wilsone resumed the practice of law. He died in Chicago, and was interred in Union Cemetery in Ohio, Illinois.
Wilson married Sarah M. Moore in 1892 and they had one son, Stephen Askew Wilson (1896-1987).[4]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 3rd congressional district 1903-1913 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 3rd congressional district 1915-1921 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
