He was born on July 16, 1931, in
Washington, D.C., the son of
William Jerome Wilson D.Th. (born 1884) and
Hazel Hutchins Wilson, a children's book author. He attended
Howe Military Academy. He graduated
B.A. from
Colgate University. He served in the
U.S. Air Force until 1957. Then he worked in
public relations. Wilson was a member of the
New York State Senate from 1963 to 1966, sitting in the
174th,
175th and
176th New York State Legislatures. He was Chairman of the Committee on Public Welfare in 1965. In November 1966, he ran for Congress in the
17th District but was defeated by the incumbent Republican
Theodore R. Kupferman. Afterwards, Wilson appeared as a commentator on
WCBS-TV, and became the Political Editor of the TV station. While in the State Senate and commenting on TV, he attended night classes at
New York University School of Law, was graduated
J.D., was admitted to the bar in 1971, and practiced law with the firm of
Rogers & Wells until 1999. From 1975-1978, Wilson also hosted public TV station
WNET/13’s weekly public-affairs program “Dateline New Jersey.” On November 21, 1985, he married Ursula Anna (Thron) Johnson. They lived in
Essex, Connecticut. His daughter
Sarah L. Wilson received in 2001 from President
Bill Clinton a
recess appointment as a judge of the
United States Court of Federal Claims. Senator Wilson died on November 1, 2019, at his home in Essex. ==Sources==