Benjamin Franklin Wilson (politician)

Benjamin Franklin Wilson was an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. He was a member of the 1st Oklahoma Legislature and served as the second Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Ben Wilson
Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
In office
1909–1911
Preceded byWilliam H. Murray
Succeeded byWilliam A. Durant
Member of the
Oklahoma House of Representatives
In office
1907–1911
Personal details
Born1855
Texas, US
Died1934
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJenny Horne
Occupationpolitician

Early life edit

Born in 1855, in Texas to John Wilson Jr. and Emily Brown. He later married Jenny Horne. Prior to his election, he was an alfalfa farmer.[1]

Political career edit

Wilson was among Oklahoma's first class of state legislators, serving in the 1st Oklahoma Legislature in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.[2] The state legislature met from December 2, 1907, to May 26, 1908, in the Guthrie City Hall Building during the first year of the only term of Governor Charles N. Haskell.[3]

He served as the second Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, during the 2nd Oklahoma Legislature.[3] At the time, he hailed from a town known as Cereal, which today is known as Banner, Oklahoma.[3]

Later life and death edit

Benjamin continued to live in Oklahoma, enumerated in the 1920 census in Canadian County, and 1930 census for Oklahoma County.[4] Benjamin Franklin Wilson died April 25, 1934.

References edit

  1. ^ Russell, U. S., editor. Shawnee Daily Herald. (Shawnee, Okla.), Vol. 14, No. 8, Ed. 1 Tuesday, July 20, 1909, Newspaper, July 20, 1909; (http://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc103933/ : accessed August 18, 2015), Oklahoma Historical Society, The Gateway to Oklahoma History, http://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
  2. ^ Historic Members Archived 2013-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, Oklahoma House of Representatives. (accessed July 18, 2013)
  3. ^ a b c A Century to Remember Archived September 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Oklahoma House of Representatives. (accessed July 18, 2013)
  4. ^ "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN1K-5PF : accessed 18 August 2015), Ben F Wilson, Union, Canadian, Oklahoma, United States; citing sheet 1A, family 9, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,455.