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R. H. Wilson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
R. H. Wilson
2nd Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
In office
November 16, 1911 – 1923
GovernorLee Cruce
Robert L. Williams
James B. A. Robertson
Preceded byEvan Dhu Cameron
Succeeded byM. A. Nash
Personal details
Born
Robert H. Wilson

August 25, 1873
DiedOctober 4, 1937 (aged 64)
Political partyDemocratic Party

Robert H. Wilson was an American politician who served as the 2nd Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1911 to 1923 and unsuccessfully ran for governor of Oklahoma in 1922.

Early life, family, and career

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Robert H. Wilson was born in Allen County, Kentucky on August 25, 1873, to John A. Wilson and Mary E. Briley. He left Kentucky in 1891, moving to Texas and attending Grayson College in Whitewright. On September 17, 1899, he married Grace Womack and they had two children. In 1903 he moved to Chickasha, Indian Territory (now Grady County, Oklahoma). He was later elected the principal of a Chickasha grade school and taught 12 years in .[1][2] He was the first president of the Oklahoma School Officers' Association.[2]

Oklahoma Superintendent

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At Oklahoma statehood Wilson was elected County Superintendent of Grady County, Oklahoma.[1] He held the office until he defeated Evan Dhu Cameron in the 1910 Democratic primary for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction and won the general election.[3] He was reelected in 1914 and 1918.[1]

1922 Gubernatorial campaign

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Wilson ran in the 1922 Oklahoma gubernatorial election with the endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan, but lost the primary to Jack C. Walton.[4]

Later life and death

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He died in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on October 4, 1937.[1]

Electoral history

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Oklahoma State Superintendent Democratic primary (August 2, 1910)[3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic R. H. Wilson 62,337 56.7%
Democratic Evan Dhu Cameron (incumbent) 47,433 43.3%
Turnout 108.770  
1910 Oklahoma State Superintendent election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic R. H. Wilson 118,628 50.3% −4.5%
Republican John P. Evans 93,549 39.6% −1.5%
Socialist S.S. Smith 23,642 10.0% +6.1%
Democratic hold Swing
1922 Oklahoma gubernatorial Democratic primary results[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jack C. Walton 119,248 44.2
Democratic R. H. Wilson 84,320 31.2
Democratic Thomas H. Owen 63,915 23.7
Democratic Arthur Finn 1,206 0.4
Democratic Frank Ziska 849 0.3
Total votes 269,538 100.00

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "NECROLOGY". Chronicles of Oklahoma. 15 (4): 498. December 1937 – via Oklahoma Historical Society.
  2. ^ a b Corden, Seth K.; Richards, William B. (1912). The Oklahoma red book. Oklahoma City, Okla. : [s.n.] p. 122. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "1907-1912 Results" (PDF). oklahoma.gov. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  4. ^ O'Dell, Larry. "Walton, John Calloway (1881-1949)". okhistory.org. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  5. ^ "1922-1926 Results" (PDF). oklahoma.gov. Oklahoma State Election Board. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction
1910, 1914, 1918
Succeeded by
M. A. Nash