DUBUQUE CO., IA: BIOGRAPHY: Thomas S. Wilson From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875 ************************************************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************* NOTE: For more information on Dubuque County, Iowa Please visit the Dubuque County, IAGenWeb page at http://iagenweb.org/dubuque/ ______________________________________________________ Honorable THOMAS S. WILSON, one of the original Judges of the Territory of Iowa, and of the District Court for many years, was born at Steubenville, Ohio, Oct. 13, 1813. He graduated at Jefferson College, Penn, in 1832, and, after studying law two years, was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1834. He immediately commenced practice with General Stokely, at Steubenville, and although having an unusually good prospect in that locality, contrary to the advice and wishes of his friends, he determined to go west and rise with the new country. Having a brother, Capt. George Wilson, of the 1st U.S. Infantry, under command of Col. Zachary Taylor, at Prairie du Chien, he went there with his wife (being then a married man), and remained there until he could select a place of settlement. Deciding to locate at Dubuque, he removed here in October, 1836. In the spring of 1837, he was elected President of the Board of Trustees of the town of Dubuque. Iowa was then a part of Wisconsin Territory, and contained two counties - Dubuque and Des Moines; Upto the 4th of July, 1838, he practiced law in Dubuque, Mineral Point, Lancaster and Prairie du Chien, and was engaged in almost every suit up to that time. In June, 1838, he was nominated a delegate to Congress by the northern counties of Iowa; W. W. Chapman, of Burlington, being nominated by the southern counties; and taking a steamer, with the view of going south to canvass the southern part of the state, he was informed by the captain that a St. Louis paper, which he had on board, contained the announcement of his (Mr. Wilson's) appointment, by President Van Buren, as one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Iowa. That was the first intimation he had of an appointment which had been made wholly unknown and without application on his part. His appointment was renewed by Presidents Tyler and Polk, and he continued Judge of the Supreme Court till a year after the admission of Iowa into the Union as a State in 1846. When the first Legislature met and went into joint ballot, he came within one vote of being elected United States Senator. The first court ever held in Iowa Territory was held by Judge Wilson at Prairie la Porte, now Guttenburg, on the second Monday in September, 1838. He resigned his office as Judge of the Supreme Court in 1847, and practiced law in partnership with Platt Smith, Esq., and his brother, Honorable D. S. Wilson, about four years; and in April 1852, he was elected, without opposition, Judge of the District Court, and by successive elections, held the office until Jan. 1, 1863, - making over twenty years and a few days of service as Judge. He held the first courts ever held in the counties of Clayton, Delaware, Jones, Allamakee, Winneshiek, Black Hawk, Bremer, Chickasaw, Fayette and Clinton; and the following counties were in his district during his term of office: Clayton, Dubuque, Jackson, Scott, Muscatine, Cedar, Jones, Delaware, Fayette, Linn, Benton, Black Hawk, Grundy, Bremer, Floyd, Chickasaw, Allamakee, Winneshiek and Clinton. It is stated upon good authority, that Judge Wilson never had ten cases reversed during all the time he was on the bench. In the local controversy respecting the right of the Government to lease the lead mines of Dubuque, the question was brought before the District Court, and Judge Wilson decided against the right of the Government to lease the mines, claiming that, while there had been an act of Congress in reference to mines in Indiana Territory, there had been none respecting those west of the Mississippi. As soon as the judge's decision had been sent to Washington, the Secretary of War, Honorable John C. Spencer, wrote the judge a sharp letter, intimating that he would speedily be removed from office. In this letter occurs a laughable mistake, which is a good illustration of how little even men high in place understood the geography of this western country at that time. Secretary Spencer stated in his letter that, even if the right of the Government to lease the mines did not extend west of the Mississippi, he did not see why the judge could not have decided that it did extend to that part of Iowa lying east of the river. Honorable James Wilson, Surveyor-General of Iowa (having his office at Dubuque), saw the letter and having occasion to visit Washington called on the Secretary and gave him a lesson in geography, and pointed out to him between what states and territories the Mississippi ran. "This," say Judge Wilson, "settled the question as to my removal from office. The Father of Waters was my father and friend on that occasion, and stayed home in his old bed; for had he left home and traveled off between other states and territories, my head would have fallen off." Judge Wilson was elected two consecutive terms to the Legislature, in 1866 and 1868. At the session in 1866, he was tendered by the Democratic members, the nomination of United States senator, which he declined. He was also a member of the Cincinnati convention, and took and active part in the nomination of Mr. Buchanan for the presidency. Judge Wilson has been twice married; his first wife, whom he married in Ohio before he came west, was Miss Anna Hoge, daughter of David Hoge, Esq., of Steubenville. He married Miss Mary Stokely, his present wife, in 1864, and has had five children. The judge is now engaged in the practice of law in Dubuque, and not withstanding his long and laborious experience in public life, appears remarkably young and active. His talents have been recognized and his great services appreciated by his fellow-citizens, among whom he is held in high esteem.