Henry Wilson, 18th Vice President

Henry Wilson, 18th Vice President

Henry Wilson (February 16, 1812 - November 22, 1875) was an American politician. Originally a Whig, he was a founder of the Free Soil Party in 1848 and worked diligently to build an anti-slavery coalition. When the Free Soil party dissolved in the mid-1850s, he joined the Republican Party, which he helped found, and which was organized largely in line with the anti-slavery coalition. During the Civil War Wilson was considered a "Radical Republican", and his experience as a militia general, organizer and commander of a Union Army regiment, and chairman of the Senate military committees enabled him to assist the Lincoln administration in the organization and oversight of the Union Army and Navy. He successfully authored bills that outlawed slavery in Washington D.C. and incorporated African-Americans in the war effort. After the Civil War, he supported the Radical Republican program for Reconstruction. In 1872, he was elected Vice President as the running mate of Ulysses S. Grant and served from March 4, 1873 until his death on November 22, 1875. Wilson's effectiveness as Vice President was limited after he suffered a debilitating stroke in May 1873, and his health continued to decline until he was the victim of a fatal stroke while working in the US Capitol in 1875. He was 63 years old.

HENRY WILSON

black & white • History: Personalities

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