Evening star., 1900-10-17
W. |. WILSON DEAD
He Was President of Washington and
Lee University.
P. N. GENERAL UNDER CLEVELAND
Health Failed Rapidly Since His
Return From Arizona.
DIED OF LUNG TROUBLE

LEXINGTON, Va. October 17-WiIlam
L. Wilson. president OF Washington and
Lee University and exPostmaster General.
died suddenly at go o'clock this morning
Of congestion of the lungs He had been
failing ever since his return from Arizona.
His son, DR.. Arthur Wilson OF Lynchburg.
visited him Sunday and left Monday. Then
came the sudden change
Mr. Wilson's attending physician did not
give up hope of his rallying until late last
night. He was confined to the house from
Tuesday week. but was thought to be i'm
proved when his son left him. He was
conscious until the last BY his bedside
were his wife. his daughters. Misses Mary
and Bette Wilson, and one son, \. liam
H. Wilson.
A Conspicuous Figure Taken Away.
The death of William L. Wilson closes
the career of one OF the most. IL not the
most. conspicuous figure among the men
who took a part in the Cleveland admin
istration. Called into public life from the
presidency of the West Virginia University
in 1888, he took leading part in demo-
cratic councils until he returned to educa-
tional work president of Washington
and Lee University four years ago. or at
the close of Mr.. Cleveland's second term.
He commanded a peculiar position In the
House of Representatives from the day he
became a member of that body. He
respected a scholar of no ordinary at
tainments and however people regarded
his views on political matters, every one
felt that he brought to bear all such
questions a cultured mind and honesty of
purpose. His health, which was delicate
when he entered the House was always a
subject of concern to his friends He was
slight of frame and was never robust. The
tariff bill which bore his name, when IL
left the House, however greatly 1t may
have been changed in the Senate, involved
an enormous amount of work for him.
which almost broke down his health.
Close to President Cleveland.
Mr.. Wilson was generally regarded as be-
ing closer in the councils of President
Cleveland than any one else In Congress
during the revision of the tariff, and when
Mr.. Cleveland desired to publicly express
himself on the tariff bill as 1t passed the
Senate he wrote his views to Mr.. Wilson.
Mr.. Wilson's personality was such as to
win for him the respect and esteem of all
his associates in Congress, however they
may have condemned his ideas the SUBJ
ject of tariff revision.
Mr.. Wilson was born In Jeffer.; son county
Va, May 3, 1913. He was educated at
Charlestown Academy and Columbian Col
lege in this city, where he graduated In
1sG0. After his graduation he studied at
ing out of the war, when he entered the
confederate army. After the war he was
for some time professor of Latin in Column
bian University, but resigned his position
on the overthrow of the lawyers test oath
In West Virginia and for eleven years prac-
ticed law In CharleStown. In 1880 he was
a delegate to the national democratic con-
vention at Cincinnati, and was chosen the
same year an elector-at-large for the
state on the Hancock ticket.
In lSs2 he accepted the presidency Of the
West Virginia University, but resigned it
the next year, having been chosen a denao-
cratic member of the Forty-eighth Con-
gress He served in that and in each sue
ceeding Congress until the Fifty-fourth
when he was defeated.
The Wilson Tariff.
AS chairman of the committee on ways
and means of the Fffty-third Congress he
carried through the House of Representa-
tives the tariff bill which bears his name
and the measure repeating the purchasing
clause of the Sherman silver law. Column
bian University conferred upon him the de-
gree of LII D. in 1888, and he received the
same honor from Hampden-S Sidney College
in Virginia, the University of Mississippi
Tulane University of Mississippi. Central
College of Missouri and the West Virginia
University. He was permanent chairman
OF the democratic national convention at
Chicago in 1892. His name was frequently
mentioned for the United States senator
ship from his state and he was often
urged to accept the speakership of the
House of Representatives. In 1895 he was
made Postmaster General In President
Cleveland's cabinet. and the expiration
of his term was elected president of WASH
ington and Lee University. M Wilson
married when quite young man the
daughter of Prof. Huntington of this city
He was for six years one of the regents of
the Smithsonian Institution.