WILSON, HENRY (born JEREMIAH JONES CoLsAirri), an American states man; born in Farmington, N. H., Feb. 16, 1812; was mainly self-educated and learned the trade of shoemaking. On attaining his majority he had his name changed by the legislature to that by which he was best known. He became an abolitionist in 1835; supported Wil liam Henry Harrison for the presidency in 1840, speaking at over 60 Whig gather ings; was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the same year; and held a seat in the State Sen ate in 1842-1845; was re-elected to the Senate in 1850, and was its president for two years. In 1855 he was elected to the United States Senate. On May 22, 1856, Charles Sumner, his colleague, was assaulted by Preston S. Brooks, and on the next day Senator Wilson pro nounced the action "brutal, murderous, and cowardly." Soon afterward Brooks challenged Wilson to a duel, but the latter refused nn the ground that duel ling was both unlawful and barbarous. During his career in the Senate he was a fearless opponent of slavery. He was re-elected to the Senate; in 1861 became chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs. In this capacity, at the begin
ning of the Civil War, he influenced Con gress to pass an act permitting the recruiting of 500,000 men. He was a third time returned to the Senate and there remained till elected Vice-Presi dent of the United States in 1872, on the ticket with General Grant. His notable addresses include "Defense of the Re publican Party" (1856) ; "Are Working men Slaves?"; "The Death of Slavery is the Life of the Nation"; "The Repub lican and Democratic Parties" (1868) ; etc. He also was the author of "History of the Anti-Slavery Measures of the Thirty-seventh and Thirty-eighth United States Congresses" (1865) ; "Military Measures of the United States Con gress" (1866) ; "Testimonies of Ameri can Statesmen and Jurists to the Truths of Christianity" (1867) ; "History of the Reconstruction Measures of the Thirty ninth and Fortieth Congresses, 1865 1868" (1868) ; "History of the Rise and Fall of the Slave Power in America" (3 vols. 1872-1875) ; etc. He died in Wash ington, D. C., Nov. 22, 1875.