George P. Wilson
Encyclopedia
George Potter Wilson was an American lawyer
and politician
.
Wilson was born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
in 1840. He studied at Bucknell University
and Ohio Wesleyan University
before moving to Minnesota
in 1860. He settled in Winona, Minnesota
and read law
in the offices of Lewis & Simpson and William Mitchell, a former justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
, before being admitted to the bar
at Rochester
in October 1862.
Wilson served as assistant secretary of the Minnesota Senate
from 1854 to 1855 and as secretary from 1856 to 1857. He served as county attorney
for Winona
1865 to 1871. In 1871 Wilson was appointed a United States
commissioner on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Wilson served as the member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
from the 8th District in 1873.
Wilson served three two-year terms as Minnesota Attorney General, serving from January 9, 1874 to January 10, 1880. In 1898 Wilson was elected to the Minnesota Senate from the 41st district. He was reelected in 1902.
A Republican, Wilson was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church
and a Freemason
. He was married September 26, 1866, to Ade H. Harrington, a daughter of William H. and Miranda Harrington, who were among the early settlers of Winona. Wilson had three children: Jessie M., later married to William R. Sweatt of Minneapolis, Walter H., and Wilt Wilson.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Wilson was born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, United States, south by southeast of Williamsport and north of Harrisburg. In the past, it was the commercial center for a fertile grain and general farming region. The population was 5,620 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Union...
in 1840. He studied at Bucknell University
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
and Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1842 by Methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five — a consortium of Ohio liberal arts colleges...
before moving to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in 1860. He settled in Winona, Minnesota
Winona, Minnesota
Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. Located in picturesque bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf....
and read law
Reading law
Reading law is the method by which persons in common law countries, particularly the United States, entered the legal profession before the advent of law schools. This usage specifically refers to a means of entering the profession . A small number of U.S...
in the offices of Lewis & Simpson and William Mitchell, a former justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
Minnesota Supreme Court
The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota and consists of seven members. The court was first assembled as a three-judge panel in 1849 when Minnesota was still a territory. The first members were lawyers from outside of the region who were appointed by...
, before being admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
at Rochester
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
in October 1862.
Wilson served as assistant secretary of the Minnesota Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
from 1854 to 1855 and as secretary from 1856 to 1857. He served as county attorney
County attorney
A county attorney in many areas of the United States is the chief legal officer for a county or local judicial district. It is usually an elected position...
for Winona
Winona County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,985 people, 18,744 households, and 11,696 families residing in the county. The population density was 80 people per square mile . There were 19,551 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
1865 to 1871. In 1871 Wilson was appointed a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
commissioner on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Wilson served as the member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
from the 8th District in 1873.
Wilson served three two-year terms as Minnesota Attorney General, serving from January 9, 1874 to January 10, 1880. In 1898 Wilson was elected to the Minnesota Senate from the 41st district. He was reelected in 1902.
A Republican, Wilson was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
and a Freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
. He was married September 26, 1866, to Ade H. Harrington, a daughter of William H. and Miranda Harrington, who were among the early settlers of Winona. Wilson had three children: Jessie M., later married to William R. Sweatt of Minneapolis, Walter H., and Wilt Wilson.
External links
- Profile from the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library
- Stevens, Hiram Fairchild Stevens. History of the bench and bar of Minnesota, Volume 1. 1904.