Emanuel Willis Wilson

Emanuel Willis Wilson
7th Governor of West Virginia
In office
March 4, 1885 – February 6, 1890
Preceded byJacob B. Jackson
Succeeded byAretas B. Fleming
Personal details
Born(1844-08-11)August 11, 1844
Harpers Ferry, Virginia, U.S.
(now West Virginia)
DiedMay 28, 1905(1905-05-28) (aged 60)
Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseHenrietta Cotton Wilson
OccupationPolitician

Emanuel Willis Wilson (August 11, 1844 – May 28, 1905) was the seventh governor of West Virginia, elected in 1884, and serving from 1885 to 1890.

When the West Virginia Legislature disputed the election of 1888, both Governor Wilson and State Senate President Robert S. Carr claimed the right to sit as Governor until the dispute was resolved. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia ruled that Wilson should remain Governor. He left office on February 6, 1890, because the legislature had decided Aretas B. Fleming had defeated Nathan Goff, Jr. After leaving the governor's office, Wilson had an unsuccessful bid for Congress.[1]

Wilson was governor during the period of the Hatfield-McCoy feud. Devil Anse Hatfield named a son, Emanuel Willis Hatfield, born on February 10, 1888, for him.

He was married to Henrietta Cotton.[2] He died on May 28, 1905.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Emanuel Willis Wilson". Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  2. ^ "West Virginia's First Ladies," West Virginia Division of Culture and History, June 2007.