Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/642

WILSON. Tille. iipar Eiliiiburgh. In 18.54 he declined the chair of natural history in Edinburgh University. He contributed many articles to Blackwood's Mariazine and the quarterlies, and wrote several hooks on natural history and zoology. Consult Memoirs, by J. Hamilton (Edinburgh, 1859).

WILSON, (1805-60). A British economist, born at Hawick, in Ro.burghshire. He published in 1839 Influences of the Corn Laws OS Affectinfi All Classes of the Cotnmunitt/ (3d ed. 1840). in which he showed that the duty on corn was really no more beneficial to the agricultural interest than it was to the manufacturing inter- est, and by so doing contributed nmch toward the ultimate success of the anti-corn-law move- ment. In 1840 he published Fluctuations of Cur- rency. Commerce, and Manufactures, in which he pointed out the evil effects of the artificial opera- tion of the corn laws. In the following year ap- I>eared his The Revenue, or ^Yhat Uliall the Chan- cellor Dot Two years afterwards he founded The Economist, in which he advocated the anti- corn-law movement. In 1847 he published Capi- tal, Currency, and Bankinrj (2d ed. 1859), which was a collection of essays already printed in The Economist. In the same year he was returned to Parliament from Westbury, and from 1853 to 18.58 held the position of Financial Secretary to the Treasury. In October, 1859, he became finan- cial member of the Council of India, where he carried through a budget that provided for an income tax, and established a sound paper cur- rency redeemable in silver. A memoir was writ- ten by his sonin-Iaw, Walter Bagehot (London, 1861)'.

WILSON, (1835—). An American Cabinet officer. He was born in Ayrshire. Scot- land, emigrated with his parents to the United States in 1852, lived for a short time at Korwich, Conn., and in 1855 removed to Tama County, Iowa, where after 1861 he engaged in farming. He was a member of the State Assembly for three terms, during the last of which he was Speaker, and from 1873 to 1877 and again in 1883-85 was a member of Congress. In 1870-74 he was regent of the State University of Iowa; in 1890-97 was director of the Agricultural E.- periment Station; for a time was professor of agriculture in the Iowa Agricultural College; and in 1897 became Secretary of Agriculture in the Cabinet of President McKinley. in which position he was retained by President Roosevelt.

WILSON, (1832—). An American editor and author, born in New York City. He was educated chiefly by jjrivate tutors and through European travel, founded (1857) the Cliicago llceord, a journal of art and literature, and entered the Union Army as major and left it as brigadier-general (1865). He after- wards lived in New York, W'as a ])opular speaker, a frecpient contributor to periodicals, president of the Society of American Authors, and, after 18S5, of the New York Genealogical and Biogra])hical Society. He edited Fitz-Greene Halleck's Poems (1868): .'1 Memorial History of the City of yew York (4 vols., 1892-93); Applcton's Cyclojwvdia of American Biography (6 vols., 1887-89, with John Fiske; vol. vii., 1900); and The (Irent Com- manders iSeries (18 vols.). His chief books in- clude: fiioqraphical Sketches of Illinois Officers (1862-G3) -.^Lifc of Fitz-Urcene Hallcck (1869); Sketches of Illustrious Holdiers (1874); Poets and Poetry of Scotland (1870); Centennial His- tory of the Diocese of New York, 1773-1885 (1886); Bryant and Bis Friends (1886); Com- modore Isaac Hull and. the Frigate Constitution (1889); Love in Letters (1896); Life of General Grant (1897); The Presidents of the United States. 17S9-1<)1 (1902); and Thackeray in the United States (1903).

WILSON, (1837—). An American soldier, born near Shawneetown, 111. He graduated at West Point in 1860 and entered the topographical engineers. During the Civil War he acted as aide-de-camp to General Mc- Clellan in the Maryland campaign; was chief topographical engineer of the Army of the Ten- nessee from October, 1862, until March, 1863; was assistant engineer and inspector-general of the Army of the Tennessee at Vicksburg and took part in the operations about Chattanooga. He was made brigadier-general of volunteers in October, 1863. In February, 1864, he was ])ut in cliarge of the cavalry bureau at Washington; then commanded the Third Cav- alry Division under General Sheridan; was brevetted major-general of vohmteers on Oc- tober 5, 1864, for "gallant and meritorious services" during the war: and on October 24, 1864, was i)ut in command of the cavalry corps of the Military Division of the Mississippi. He participated in the battles of Franklin and Nash- ville, and, in ^larch, 1865, was sent on a cavalry expedition into Georgia and Alabama, and in twenty-eight days captured Selma. Montgomery, Columbus,!Macon, and other places, with 288 guns and 6820 prisoners, including Jefferson Davis. As a reward for these services he was on April 20, 1865, made a major-general of volun- teers. He resigned from the ai'my in 1870, and engaged in large railroad and engineering opera- tions at home and abroad. In May, 1898, he was appointed major-general of volunteers, and com- manded the First Division of the First Army Corps in the campaign in Porto Rico. He took part in the China relief expedition of 1900. He published: Life of General U. S. Grant (1868), with Charles A. Dana; and China: Trai-els and Investigations in the Middle Kingdom (1887).

WILSON, (1588-1667). A New Eng- land clergyman. He was born at Windsor, Eng- land, graduated at Cambridge in 1006, obtained a fellowship and studied law three years. He was ordained in the Church of England; became chaplain to Lady Scudaniore; preached at Mort- lake, Henley, Bumsted, Stoke, and Candish; was minister of Sudbury, Essex, but was repeatedly suspended by the Bishop's court because of his Puritan svnipathies. He embarked for America (1630) at the Isle of Wight, with Winthrop and others of the Massachusetts Colony, and landed at Salem, Mass. At Cliarlestown lie organized a church, which afterwards became the First Cliurch of Boston; was ordained teacher in this cliurch by the imposition of the hands of the members, and ordained as its pastor (1632). In 1634 he visited England, returning the next year with his wife, and Hugh Peters (q.v.). who w.as compelled to leave for non-conformity. With Governor Winthrop, Wilson opposed the Antino- niian sentiments of .Tolin Wlieelwriglit and Anno Hutchinson. He was chaplain to the troops ecnt