View source for William Lyne Wilson

{{Short description|American politician and lawyer}}
{{other people|William Wilson}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = William Wilson
| image               = William Lyne Wilson.jpg
| office              = 37th [[United States Postmaster General]]
| president           = [[Grover Cleveland]] <br /> [[William McKinley]]
| term_start          = March 1, 1895
| term_end            = March 5, 1897
| predecessor         = [[Wilson S. Bissell]]
| successor           = [[James Albert Gary|James Gary]]
| state1              = [[West Virginia]]
| district1           = {{ushr|WV|2|2nd}}
| term_start1         = March 4, 1883
| term_end1           = March 3, 1895
| predecessor1        = [[John B. Hoge]]
| successor1          = [[Alston G. Dayton]]
| birth_name          = William Lyne Wilson
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1843|5|3}}
| birth_place         = [[Charles Town, West Virginia|Charles Town, Virginia]], U.S. (now [[West Virginia]])
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1900|10|17|1843|5|3}}
| death_place         = [[Lexington, Virginia]], U.S.
| party               = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| education           = [[George Washington University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[University of Virginia]]
| allegiance          = Confederate States
| branch              = Confederate States Army
| rank                = [[Private (rank)|Private]]
| unit                = [[12th Virginia Cavalry]]
| battles             = [[American Civil War]]
}}
'''William Lyne Wilson''' (May 3, 1843 – October 17, 1900) was an American politician and lawyer from [[West Virginia]]. A [[Bourbon Democrat]], he was elected to the [[United States Congress]] in 1882 and served six terms of office, ending in 1895.

Following his departure from the [[U.S. House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], he was appointed [[United States Postmaster General|Postmaster General of the United States]] by President [[Grover Cleveland]], and remained in that [[United States Cabinet|cabinet-level]] position until 1897. After leaving government service, he was named President of [[Washington and Lee University]] in [[Lexington, Virginia]].

==Biography==

===Early years and marriage===

William Lyne Wilson was born in [[Charles Town, West Virginia|Charles Town, Virginia]] (now [[West Virginia]]) on May 3, 1843. He attended Charles Town Academy, graduated from [[Columbian College]], today part of [[George Washington University]], from which he graduated in 1860.<ref name=BDUSC>[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000623 "William Lyne Wilson (1843-1900),"] ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: 1774-Present.'' Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Online version, accessed Nov. 2, 2015.</ref> He subsequently studied at the [[University of Virginia]].<ref name=BDUSC />

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], he enlisted in the [[Confederate States Army|Confederate Army]] and served as a [[Private (rank)|private]] in the 12th Virginia Cavalry.<ref name=BDUSC />

After the war, Wilson for several years, he taught school at Columbian College during which he graduated from law school.<ref name=BDUSC /> He was [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admitted to the bar]] in 1869 and opened a private practice in Charles Town.<ref name=BDUSC />

He was chosen as president of [[West Virginia University]], taking office on September 4, 1882.<ref name=BDUSC /><ref>{{Cite web |title=WVU Presidents |url=https://birthday.wvu.edu/history/wvu-presidents|publisher=[[West Virginia University]]|access-date=July 30, 2024 }}</ref>

[[File:Mrs William Lyne Wilson.jpg|thumb|left|Mrs William Lyne Wilson]]

He married the daughter of Rev. A.J. Huntington, D.D., professor of Greek in Columbian University.

===Political career===

Wilson was a delegate to the [[1880 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]] in 1880.<ref name=BDUSC /> He was elected a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] to the [[United States House of Representatives]] shortly afterward and won reelection five times afterwards, serving from 1883 to 1895.<ref name=BDUSC /> He served as chairman of the [[United States House Committee on Ways and Means|Committee on Ways and Means]] from 1893 to 1895 during which he co-authored the [[Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act]] which slightly reduced the United States [[Tariff in American history|tariff]] rates from the numbers set by the [[McKinley Tariff]] of 1890.<ref name=BDUSC />

After leaving Congress, Wilson was appointed [[United States Postmaster General|Postmaster General]] in the [[United States Cabinet|cabinet]] of President [[Grover Cleveland]] and served from 1895 to 1897.<ref name=BDUSC /> During that time, future [[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]] [[Newton D. Baker]] served as his private secretary. In 1896, he broke party lines by opposing the [[Free Silver Movement]] led by Democratic presidential nominee [[William Jennings Bryan]] and, like many [[Bourbon Democrats]], backed the [[National Democratic Party (United States)|National Democratic]] candidate [[John M. Palmer (politician)|John McAuley Palmer]] who supported the traditional [[gold standard]], [[limited government]] and opposed [[protectionism]].

===Death and legacy===

After leaving office as Postmaster General, Wilson served as president of [[Washington and Lee University]].<ref name=BDUSC /> Wilson died in [[Lexington, Virginia]], on October 17, 1900, and was interred in Edgehill Cemetery in Charles Town.<ref name=BDUSC />

A portion of [[U.S. Route 340 in West Virginia|U.S. Route 340]] between [[Harpers Ferry, West Virginia|Harpers Ferry]] and Charles Town, West Virginia, is designated the [[William L. Wilson Freeway]] in his honor.

==Works==

* ''Pensions Appropriation Bill: Speech of Hon. William L. Wilson, of West Virginia, in the House of Representatives, Tuesday, March 2, 1886.'' Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1886.
* ''The Tariff: Speech of Hon. William L. Wilson, of West Virginia, in the House of Representatives, Thursday, May 3, 1888.'' Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1888.
* [https://archive.org/details/nationaldemocr00wils ''The National Democratic Party: Its History, Principles, Achievements, and Aims.''] (Editor.) Baltimore, MD: H.L. Harvey and Co., 1888.
* ''The New Trial of Popular Government: An Address Delivered before the Society of the Alumni of the University of Virginia, on Commencement Day, June 1, 1891.'' Charlottesville, VA, C.M. Brand, 1891.
* ''Duties on Wool and Woolen Goods: Speech of Hon. William L. Wilson, of West Virginia, in the House of Representatives, Thursday, April 7, 1892.'' Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1892.
* [https://archive.org/details/jstor-25102368 "The Man, or The Platform?"] (Symposium contributor.) ''North American Review,'' vol. 154, whole no. 426 (May 1892), pp.&nbsp;525–529.
* [https://archive.org/details/jstor-25102438 "The Tariff Plank at Chicago,"] ''North American Review,'' vol. 155 (Sept. 1892), pp.&nbsp;280–286.
* [https://archive.org/details/jstor-25103253 "The Income Tax on Corporations,"] ''North American Review,'' vol. 158, whole no. 446 (Jan. 1894), pp.&nbsp;1–7.
* ''The Tariff: Speech of Hon. William L. Wilson, of West Virginia, in the House of Representatives, Monday and Tuesday, January 8 and 9, 1894.'' Washington, DC: Capital Publishing Co., 1894.
* ''Tariff Reform: Speeches of Hon. Charles F. Crisp, of Georgia, and Hon. William L. Wilson, of West Virginia, in the House of Representatives, Thursday, February 1, 1894.'' With Charles F. Crisp. Washington, DC: Hartman and Cadick, 1894.
* ''Speech of Hon. William L. Wilson Before the Young Men's Democratic Association at Philadelphia, Pa., January 8th,1895: "Moderate and Just Taxation is the Best Achievement of Legislative Action."'' Boston, MA: New England Free Trade League, 1895.
* ''The Inauguration of William Lyne Wilson, LL. D. as President of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va., September 15, 1897.'' Lynchburg, VA: J.P. Bell Co., 1897.
* [https://archive.org/details/980708WilsonFoundersofstates "The Founders of States and the Founders of Colleges,"] ''University Record,'' vol. 3, no. 15 (July 8, 1898), pp.&nbsp;85–90.
* ''The Cabinet Diary of William L. Wilson, 1896-1897.'' Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1957.
* ''A Borderland Confederate.'' Festus P. Summers (ed.) Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1962.

==See also==
*[[List of presidents of West Virginia University]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
* James A. Quarles, [https://archive.org/details/jstor-27528140 "William Lyne Wilson,"] ''Sewanee Review,'' vol. 9, no. 1 (Jan. 1901), pp.&nbsp;41–56.
* Festus P. Summers, ''William L. Wilson and Tariff Reform.'' New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1953.
* [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3543419/william_l_wilson_royally_received_at/ "William L. Wilson: Royally Received and El Paso and Fort Bliss,"] ''Galveston Daily News,'' vol. 52, no. 333 (Feb. 19, 1894), pg. 6.
==External links==

*[[West Virginia & Regional History Center]] at [[West Virginia University]], [https://archives.lib.wvu.edu/repositories/2/resources/5176 William Lyne Wilson, Papers]
*{{Cite NSRW|wstitle=Wilson, William Lyne}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, William Lyne}}
[[Category:1843 births]]
[[Category:1900 deaths]]
[[Category:United States postmasters general]]
[[Category:Presidents of Washington and Lee University]]
[[Category:West Virginia lawyers]]
[[Category:Confederate States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:University of Virginia alumni]]
[[Category:People of West Virginia in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Lawyers from Charles Town, West Virginia]]
[[Category:Cleveland administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from West Virginia]]
[[Category:19th-century West Virginia politicians]]
[[Category:Presidents of West Virginia University]]
[[Category:Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni]]
[[Category:Bourbon Democrats]]
[[Category:Politicians from Charles Town, West Virginia]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Charles Town, West Virginia]]
[[Category:19th-century United States representatives]]
[[Category:Civil servants from Charles Town, West Virginia]]