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William H. Wilson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William H. Wilson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1937
Preceded byJames M. Beck
Succeeded byJames P. McGranery
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 5th Philadelphia County district
In office
January 6, 1913 – December 28, 1915
Preceded byFredrick E. Keene
Succeeded byEdward W. Wells
Philadelphia Director of Public Safety
In office
1916 (1916)–1920 (1920)
Personal details
Born
William Henry Wilson

(1877-12-06)December 6, 1877
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
DiedAugust 11, 1937(1937-08-11) (aged 59)
Santa Barbara, California, United States
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Florence Klauder
(m. 1902)
ChildrenDorthea (born 1905)
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania
Signature

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

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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 and served from 1913 until his resignation on December 28, 1915.[1][2] 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 with his wife and daughter. However, he moved back to Philadelphia and then ran for Congress in 1934.

Congress

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Wilson was elected to Congress in 1934, defeating Democrat James P. McGranery. 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.[3] Despite his conservatism, he voted for the Social Security Act of 1935, likely the most consequential vote of his legislative career.[4]

Wilson had one committee assignment during his term, the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures.[5]

Later life and death

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

Electoral history

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Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district: Results 1934–1936[6]
Year Subject Party Votes % Opponent Party Votes %
1934 William H. Wilson Republican 44,478 54.71 James P. McGranery Democratic 36,212 44.55
1936 William H. Wilson (inc.) Republican 41,267 37.53 James P. McGranery Democratic 65,779 59.82
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district

1935–1937
Succeeded by

References

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  1. ^ "Pennsylvania House of Representatives - 1913-1914" (PDF), wilkes.edu, retrieved August 8, 2022
  2. ^ "Pennsylvania House of Representatives - 1915-1916" (PDF), wilkes.edu, retrieved August 8, 2022
  3. ^ "WILSON, William Henry (1877-1937)", VoteView, retrieved August 9, 2022
  4. ^ "Social Security History", ssa.gov, retrieved August 9, 2022
  5. ^ "79 Cong. Rec. (Bound) - Volume 79, Part 1 (January 3, 1935 to January 29, 1935)", clerk.house.gov, retrieved August 9, 2022
  6. ^ "Wilson, William H.", OurCampaigns, retrieved August 8, 2022