Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/591

Rh States, that of St. Rose, was founded in Washing- ton county, Ky. Shortly afterward, Father Wil- son was appointed provincial of his order, and superior of the convent and college. In 1809 he established a novitiate, in which he trained a large number of priests for the Kentucky mission. He continued at the head of these institutions until the close of his life.

WILSON, Thomas, author, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., about 1708; d. there about 1828. He learned the printer's trade, wrote extensively for the press, removed in 1811 to Baltimore, Md., and there con- ducted a newspaper, returning in 1810 to Phila- delphia. He was the author of " The Biography of the Principal American Military and Naval He- roes " (New York, 1821) ; and " The Picture of Phil- adelphia in 1824" (Philadelphia, 1824).

WILSON, Thomas, merchant, b. in Harford County, Md., 5 Feb., 1789 ; d. in Baltimore, 2 Sept., 1879. His parents were members of the Society of Friends, and removed to Baltimore in 1798. The son received a plain education, and at the age of sev- enteen was apprenticed to Thorndick Chase, a mer- chant of Balti more, trading with the West Indies and the Spanish Main. He was advanced by Mr. Chase to the post of chief clerk before he was nineteen, and upon attaining his majority became a partner in the firm of Brown and Wilson. He spent much of his time from 1811 till 1810 at La Guayra, Vene- zuela, as resident partner of his firm ; but during the war of 1812 he returned to Baltimore and or- ganized a line of small vessels to run from Boston to Folly Landing, Va., whence their cargoes were transported overland to Onancock, and thence by boats to Baltimore. While engaged in these ven- tures he narrowly escaped capture by the British on several occasions. In 1857 he retired from mercantile business, and confined his operations to dealing in securities. He was identified with many of the manufacturing interests of Maryland and Pennsylvania, was a member of the Maryland colo- nization society, and for many years president of the Baltimore manual labor school, in which char- ity he took great interest. During the civil war of 1801-'5 he was a firm supporter of the National cause. By his will he devoted $025,000 to various charities, endowing the Thomas Wilson sanita- rium for children — an institution designed to take care of sick children during the summer months — with $500,000 ; and a fuel-saving society — to aid deserving poor people to purchase their fuel cheap- ly, and sewing-women to obtain sewing-machines at low cost— with $100,000.

WILSON, Thomas, jurist, b. in County Tyrone, Ireland, 10 May, 1827. He was brought to the United States in 1839, was graduated at Allegheny college in 1852, studied law, was admitted to the bar in Meadville, Pa., in 1855. and settled in Winona, Minn. He was a member of the Con- stitutional convention of Minnesota in 1857, was elected a district judge, and took his seat on the bench in 1858, on the organization of the state government. In the spring of 1804 he was ap- pointed a judge of the supreme court, and in the autumn of the same year he was elected chief justice for the term of seven years. In 1809 he resigned, and has since followed the practice of his profession. He was elected to the state house of representatives in 1880, and in 1882, after declining a nomination for congress, was elected to the state senate, and served till 1885. In the latter year he was the Democratic candidate for a seat in the United States senate, and in 1880 he was elected to the National house of representa- tives, taking his seat on 5 Dec, 1887.

WILSON, Thomas Bellerhy, physician, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., 17 Jan., 1807; d. in Newark, Del., 15 March, 1805. He was educated at the Friends' school in Philadelphia, and then studied medicine, which he practised in his native city with considerable success. Subsequently he de- voted himself to natural history, and paid special attention to birds, of which he made a remarkable collection. In 1832 he was elected to the Academy of natural sciences of Philadelphia, and at once took an active part in its proceedings. Its library was largely created through his liberality, and his collection of birds, which then ranked as" the third in the world, was presented by him to the academy, of which he was president in 1803-'4.

WILSON, William, physician, b. in Scotland in 1755 ; d. in Clermont, Columbia co., N. Y., in December, 1828. He was the brother of Sir Alex- ander Wilson, bart, of Bath, England. He was educated at the University of Glasgow, where he received the degrees of A. B. and M. D., and came to the United States in 1784, bringing letters of in- troduction to Chancellor Robert R. Livingston and other citizens. The chancellor, feeling the need of a skilled medical man in his part of the country, induced Dr. Wilson to take up his resi- dence at Clermont, N. Y., where he remained until his death. When Mr. Livingston went to Europe in 1800 as minister to France he left his extensive estates in the care of Dr. Wilson, and afterward ap- pointed him one of his executors. On the organi- zation of the County medical society, he was made its president, and subsequently held" the same post in the Medical association of the state of New York. In 1804 Dr. Wilson was named first judge of Columbia county, being the second incumbent of that office, the duties of which he continued to discharge until he was disqualified by age. The latter part of his life was spent in agricultural pursuits, and he was mainly instrumental in organizing the Farmers' club of Dutchess and Columbia counties, N. Y., which is believed to have been the first purely agricultural association in the state. — His son, Stephen Bayard, naval officer, b. in Clermont, Columbia co., N. Y., 18 Aug., 1790 ; d. in Hudson. N. Y., 15 March, 1803, entered the navy as a midshipman, 1 Jan., 1812, and served at Norfolk for a short time, and then on the lakes during the war until 1810. In 1817 he was attached to the ship "Independence" at Boston. He cruised on the Mediterranean station in the frigate "Guerriere" and the ship "Washington" in 1818— '21, was stationed at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., in 1822, and served in the Musquito fleet in 1823-'7 for the suppression of piracy in the West Indies. He was commissioned a lieutenant, 13 Jan., 1825, served at the naval rendezvous at Baltimore in 1827-'30, cruised in the frigate " Potomac," of the Pacific squadron, in 1831-4, in the " John Adams" on the Mediterranean station in 1835-'7, in the ship " Macedonian," in the West Indies in 1838-'40. He was promoted to commander, 8 Sept., 1841, and had the frigate " Columbus," of the Brazil station, in 1843-'4. He served at the Boston navy-yard in 1845-7, commanded the sloop "John Adams," in 1847-'8, during the latter part of the Mexican war, and after the war continued cruising for some time on the Gulf coast of Mexico. He participated in the expedition that captured Tuspan. He served at the New York navy-yard in command of the receiving-ship in 1850-'l. On 14 Sept., 1855, he was promoted to captain, and commanded the frigate " Columbia " on the home station for a few months after his promotion. His health failed, and he was on waiting orders until he was