John Wilson (Arkansas politician)
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific_prefix=Colonel
|name=John Wilson
|state_house1=Arkansas
|district1=Pike County
|term_start1=November 2, 1840
|term_end1=November 7, 1842
|predecessor1=A. Thompson
|successor1=William Bizzell
|office2=Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives
|term2=October 6, 1828 – October 3, 1831
October 7, 1833 – December 4, 1837
|successor2=Grandison Royston
|state_house3=Arkansas
|district3=Clark County
|term_start3=October 3, 1831
|term_end3=December 4, 1837
|successor3=A.H. Rutherford
|office4=Delegate to 1836 Arkansas Constitutional Convention
|term_start4=January 4, 1836
|term_end4=January 30, 1836
|constituency4=Clark County
|state_house5=Arkansas
|district5=Hempstead County
|term_start5=October 6, 1823
|term_end5=October 3, 1831
|death_date=1865
|death_place=Texas
|footnotes={{cite book |last1= Priest |first1= Sharon |author-link1=Sharon Priest |editor1-last= Runnells |editor1-first= Jonathan |title= Historical Report of the Arkansas Secretary of State |pages=212–219 |year= 1998 |publisher= Office of the Arkansas Secretary of State |isbn= 9780313302121 |oclc= 40157815 |ref={{harvid|"SOS"|1998}} }}
}}
Colonel John Wilson (died 1865) was an American politician. He served as the Speaker of the House of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1836 to 1837. He killed fellow representative Joseph J. Anthony in 1837, being acquitted but expelled from the House. He was later reelected in 1840. Wilson died in Texas in 1865.
Biography
John Wilson represented Clark County at the constitutional convention to create the first constitution of Arkansas in 1836. He was elected as the president of the convention.{{cite news|date=January 8, 1836|title=The convention|newspaper=Arkansas Times and Advocate|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arkansas-times-and-advocate-john-wilson/146844652/|access-date=May 8, 2024|via=Newspapers.com}} He later represented Clark County in the Arkansas House of Representatives, serving as the Speaker of the House. On December 4, 1837, Wilson entered into a knife fight with fellow representative Joseph J. Anthony after arguing with him about the Arkansas Real Estate Bank, of which Wilson was the president. Wilson stabbed Anthony, killing him. He was arrested for the crime, with the trial occurring in May 1838.{{cite encyclopedia|title=Joseph J. Anthony (Murder of)|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Arkansas|url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/wilson-anthony-duel-5664/|access-date=February 16, 2024}} He was also expelled from the House on December 5, with Grandison Royston being chosen as the new Speaker.{{cite news|date=December 11, 1837|title=Untitled|newspaper=Arkansas Times and Advocate|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arkansas-times-and-advocate-speaker-john/141133635/|access-date=February 16, 2024}}
Before the trial began, Wilson's lawyer, Chester Ashley, was able to argue that he could not have a fair trial in Pulaski County. The trial was moved and became the first murder trial held in Saline County. It concluded with Wilson being found guilty of excusable homicide and released.{{cite news|title=Trial For Murder|newspaper=Arkansas Times and Advocate|date=May 28, 1838|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arkansas-times-and-advocate-speaker-john/141129164/|access-date=February 16, 2024}} He was later re-elected to the Arkansas House in 1840 after moving to Pike County. In 1842, during a debate on the Real Estate Bank, Wilson became angry with another representative, this time Whig representative Lorenzo Gibson. However, other House members intervened and stopped a fight from occurring. Later in life, Wilson moved to Texas. He ran for election to the Texas state legislature but was unsuccessful. He died there in 1865.