Wilson, Henry

Henry (1812-1875), a prominent American statesman. He was born at Farmington, New Hampshire. His original name was Jeremiah Colbaith, which, however, he changed to Henry Wilson on coming of age. He was educated chiefly on a farm and at the shoemaker's bench. He saved a little money at his trade and attended various academies. He was one of the early founders of the shoe trade at Natick. In 1840 the Whigs sent Wilson to the legislature of Massachusetts. From that time on he was a prominent figure in the politics of his adopted state. He cooperated with John G. Whittier in antislavery work. He was a member of the Free-Soil party, and later was one of the organizers of the Republican party. He held various positions. In 1853 he entered the United States Senate, a position to which he was elected in all four times. In 1872 he was elected vice-president by the Republicans. Although regarded with disfavor in the South, Henry Wilson was a man of integrity and determination, a sincere patriot. The most prominent of his writings was a History of the Rise and Fall of the Slave Power in America.