History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century/4/David S. Wilson
DAVID S. WILSON was one of the pioneer lawyers and editors of Dubuque. He was born at Steubenville, Ohio, on the 19th of March, 1825. Coming to Dubuque in 1839 he began the study of law with his brother, Judge Thomas S. Wilson. For several years he was editor of the Miners' Express which he conducted with ability. In 1846, when barely twenty-one, he was elected to the House of the Eighth Legislative Assembly. He served as a lieutenant in the Mexican War and was prosecuting attorney two terms. In 1857 he was elected to the Senate of the Seventh General Assembly, serving four years. When the Civil War began Mr. Wilson became a leader of the “war Democrats” and made an able speech against secession. In 1862 he was commissioned colonel of the Sixth Cavalry which was sent against the Sioux Indians then engaged in the Minnesota massacre. In 1864 Colonel Wilson resigned his command and returned to Dubuque, resuming the practice of law. In 1872 he was appointed circuit judge and soon after district judge, serving until 1878. He died in Dubuque, April 1, 1881.