In the
1934 Australian federal election he was, with
J. L. Price, nominated by the
Liberal and Country League for the seat of Boothby. Price was the winning candidate. In the
1937 Australian federal election, Keith was elected a
Senator for
South Australia for the
United Australia Party, serving from 1938 to 1944. In 1940 he joined the army, continuing to serve in the Senate. After his return, he stood in the
1949 election for the
Liberal Party of Australia (which had absorbed the UAP in 1944) as its candidate in the newly created seat of
Sturt, and won. He held Sturt until his defeat by
Labor's
Norman Makin in
1954. A redistribution ahead of the
1955 election saw most of Sturt's Labor-friendly territory shifted to newly created
Bonython, which made Sturt notionally Liberal. Makin opted to contest Bonython, and Wilson retook Sturt on a large swing. He held the seat until his retirement in
1966 which resulted in his son,
Ian, gaining preselection for the seat, which he subsequently won and held for over 20 years. Wilson was knighted on 1 January 1966. He died in Adelaide on 28 September 1987. He was the last surviving member of the 1937-1944 Senate. ==Publications==