Thomas Wilson (1765-1826)

Thomas Wilson was born in Staunton, Virginia in 1765. He studied law in Staunton and was admitted to the bar in 1789. Wilson then moved to Morgantown – which was then still part of Virginia – where he began practicing law. After only three years in Morgantown, Wilson was elected as a Federalist to the Virginia Senate. Due to the sparse population of western Virginia, Wilson represented Monongalia, Ohio, Randolph, and Harrison Counties. Furthermore, these counties were all much larger than they are today. Wilson's jurisdiction included almost the entire north-eastern half of what is now West Virginia, including parts of the eastern panhandles. Wilson’s term in the senate ended in 1795, and he was elected to the Virginia House of Representatives in 1799 as Monongalia County’s representative. He served a single two-year term before being reelected to the senate from 1800-1804. During this second senate stint, Wilson represented the aforementioned counties as well as newly added Wood and Brooke Counties.

Still running as a Federalist, Wilson was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1811. He served a single two-year term during the Twelfth Congress. In 1816, Wilson again represented Monongalia County in the Virginia House of Delegates. After retiring from politics in 1817, Wilson returned to Morgantown and continued practicing law. He died in Morgantown on January 24, 1826. With two terms each in both the Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia Senate, as well as a term in the United States House of Representatives, Wilson was an important western Virginian politician. Wilson’s son and grandson – Edgar and Eugene, respectively – also served terms in the United States Congress. Edgar is also buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.

Painter, Beth. Thomas Wilson, Find a Grave. June 25th 2003. Accessed September 14th 2020. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7619438/thomas-wilson#source.

WILSON, Thomas (1765-1826), Biographical Directory of the United State Congress 1774-Present. Accessed September 14th 2020. https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=W000615.