Henry Wilson (February 16, 1812 – November 22, 1875) was the 18th Vice President of the United States and a Senator from Massachusetts . During the American Civil War, he was a leading Republican who devoted his enormous energies to the destruction of what he called the Slave Power, which he defined as a conspiracy of slave owners to seize control of the federal government and block the progress of liberty.
After the Civil War, Wilson's fellow Re...
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Henry Wilson (February 16, 1812 – November 22, 1875) was the 18th Vice President of the United States and a Senator from Massachusetts . During the American Civil War, he was a leading Republican who devoted his enormous energies to the destruction of what he called the Slave Power, which he defined as a conspiracy of slave owners to seize control of the federal government and block the progress of liberty.
After the Civil War, Wilson's fellow Republicans nominated him to be Vice President of the United States. He was elected in 1872 to be the 18th U.S. Vice President; he served in this position from March 4, 1873 until November 22, 1875, when he died in office.
Wilson was born Jeremiah Jones Colbath in Farmington, New Hampshire. In 1833 he had his name legally changed by the legislature to Henry Wilson. Henry Wilson moved to Natick, Massachusetts in 1833 and became a shoemaker. He attended several local academies, and also taught school in Natick, where he later engaged in the...
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