Wikipedia

Stanley B. Wilson

Stanley Brock Wilson (October 11, 1869 – January 27, 1937) was a Canadian-American labor leader, newspaper publisher and Methodist preacher who served two terms on the California State Board of Education.[1][2] In 1906, he ran for mayor of Los Angeles on the Public Ownership ticket.[3] In 1918, Governor William Stephens appointed Wilson to a seat on the California State Board of Education, where he served until 1923.[4] Throughout his life he edited and published several newspapers and magazines, including the Western Comrade.[5]

The Reverend
Stanley B. Wilson
Wilson in 1906
Member of the
California State Board of Education
In office
December 21, 1918 – November 9, 1923
Appointed byWilliam Stephens
Preceded byCharles A. Whitmore
Succeeded byS. D. Merk
Personal details
Born(1869-10-11)October 11, 1869
Arnprior, Ontario, Canada
DiedJanuary 27, 1937(1937-01-27) (aged 67)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park
Political partyRepublican
Other political
affiliations		Prohibition (1890)
Public Ownership (1906)
Democratic (1908)
Socialist (1911–1915)
Spouse
Georgia M. Baxter
​
(m. 1891)​
Children
  • Charlotte
  • Ethel
EducationUniversity of Southern California
OccupationLabor leader, newspaper publisher, preacher
Known for1906 Los Angeles mayoral election
The Western Comrade

Early life

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1898 illustration of Wilson as "California's Pugilist Preacher"

Stanley Brock Wilson was born on October 11, 1869, in Arnprior, Ontario.[6][7] He was the second of eight children born to William Wilson, an Irish immigrant, and his wife Martha, a Canadian native.[8] Wilson immigrated to the United States at 18, settling in San Diego County with his brother.[7]

Wilson's political and religious career began not long after arriving to Southern California; in 1889 he was elected chaplain of a local Band of Hope,[9] and in 1890 he was Secretary of the San Diego County Prohibition Party.[10] Later that year he was the party's candidate for San Diego County Clerk.[11]

Wilson first came to prominence in the 1890s as a preacher and newspaper publisher in Ramona, California. After some time working for other papers, he acquired the Ramona Sentinel (the only newspaper in the area) in 1897 and became its editor.[12]

"Pugilist Preacher"

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Soon after taking over the Sentinel, Wilson was involved in at least two fistfights with locals. The first involved a man from Julian who confronted Wilson after being labeled a "bully" by the Sentinel.[13] The second allegedly involved a group of American Indians about to attack a man.[14] Wilson won both fights, earning a reputation as a “pugilist preacher.”[15]

Political career

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Despite his earlier association with the Prohibition Party, by 1898 Wilson was an active Republican,[16] stumping for William McKinley.[7] In 1899 he was appointed a clerk to the State Assembly,[17] and in 1900 he was made gatekeeper of the State Senate.[18] That same year, he leased the Ramona Sentinel and moved to San Francisco.[19] By 1903, he had settled in Los Angeles,[20] and in 1905 he was elected president of the Los Angeles Typographical Union.[21]

1906 Los Angeles mayoral campaign

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Pro-Lindley cartoon from the 1906 election depicting the candidates as gladiators of varying strength. Wilson is shown in the back leading a legion of "Ruef refugees."

On February 21, 1906, representatives of Los Angeles organized labor came together to form the Public Ownership Party, on the basis that anti-labor forces controlled city hall and private ownership of utilities was the source of political corruption.[22] Wilson took an early leadership role in the party, serving as chairman at the founding convention.[23] In September the party announced its platform and ticket, with Wilson chosen unanimously as the candidate for mayor.[24]

Wilson campaigned on a platform that included banishing corporate lobbyists from city hall, restricting the sale of liquor, and an eight-hour workday for city employees.[25] His opponents were Democratic banker Arthur C. Harper, Republican doctor Walter Lindley, Non-Partisan attorney Lee C. Gates, Socialist carpenter Frank A. Marek, and Prohibitionist Wiley J. Phillips (another reverend-turned-newspaper editor).

During the campaign, his opponents accused him of being a puppet of the San Francisco political boss Abe Ruef, charging that refugees of the 1906 earthquake would be sent south en masse to steal the election.[26] Wilson, for his part, denounced Ruef, comparing him to the Democratic and Republican bosses that ran Los Angeles.[27]

Wilson would ultimately lose the election to Democrat Arthur Cyprian Harper, coming in fourth place with just over 12 percent of the vote.[3]

Personal life

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Wilson married Georgia M. Baxter on June 1, 1891, in Sultan, Washington.[28] They had two daughters, Charlotte and Ethel.

On May 31, 1913, Charlotte Wilson married Floyd De Hay, an unemployed youth that had recently been released from reform school and taken in by her father. Four days later, she filed for annullment, charging that De Hay had forced her to marry him by threatening to kill her and her father. De Hay was soon arrested, and the annullment was granted that August.[29]

Works

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  • Can a Catholic Be a Socialist? Los Angeles: The Citizen Print Shop, 1912.
  • The Gospel of Socialism. Los Angeles: The Citizen Print Shop, 1913.
  • The Western Comrade. Los Angeles: The Citizen Publishing Company, 1913–1918.

References

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  1. ^ "Stanley B. Wilson dies in Los Angeles hospital". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento. 27 January 1937. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Eloquent labor leader once a fighting parson". The Los Angeles Evening Express. Los Angeles. 2 September 1907. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Machine rebuked at polls". The Los Angeles Herald. Los Angeles. 6 December 1906. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Merk named on the Board of Education". The Sacramento Union. Sacramento. 10 November 1923. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  5. ^ "The Marxists Internet Archive"
  6. ^ "Wesleyan Methodist Baptismal Register". rootsweb.com. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Who's Who in the State's Service". The Sacramento Union. Sacramento. 26 September 1919. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Death of Mrs. William Wilson". The San Diego Union. San Diego. 23 June 1899. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  9. ^ "The Excelsiors Elect Officers for the Ensuing Year". The San Diego Union. San Diego. 8 January 1889. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  10. ^ "The Prohibitionists Hold A County Convention and Nominate a Full Ticket". The National City Record. National City. 7 August 1890. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  11. ^ "First in the Field". The Elsinore News. Lake Elsinore. 2 August 1890. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Ramona". The Los Angeles Herald. Los Angeles. 8 April 1897. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  13. ^ "A Fighting Preacher". The San Diego Union. San Diego. 8 November 1897. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  14. ^ "The Rev. Stanley Wilson of Ramona". Daily Evening Expositor. Fresno. 11 November 1897. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  15. ^ "This man is both Pugilist and Preacher". The Los Angeles Herald. Los Angeles. 25 January 1898. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Ticket Completed". The San Diego Union. San Diego. 17 September 1898. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Evening Session". The Sacramento Union. Sacramento. 3 January 1899. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Local Happenings". The Record. National City. 8 February 1900. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Local Happenings". The Record. National City. 25 January 1900. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Local News". Covina Argus. Covina. 24 January 1903. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  21. ^ "Printers' Banquet". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. Los Angeles. 10 August 1905. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  22. ^ Stimson, Grace Heilman (1955). Rise of the labor movement in Los Angeles. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. p. 306.
  23. ^ "New Party Formed". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. Los Angeles. 22 February 1906. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  24. ^ "Public Ownership Ticket Forecasted". Los Angeles Evening Post-Record. Los Angeles. 28 September 1906. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Candidates for the mayoralty tell what they intend to do if elected". The Los Angeles Examiner. Los Angeles. 25 November 1906. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Nothern strikers will help Wilson". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. 25 November 1906. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  27. ^ "Wilson's Campaign". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. 11 November 1906. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  28. ^ "The marriage of Stanley B. Wilson". The San Diego Union. San Diego. 9 June 1891. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  29. ^ "Pretty girl forced to wed freed". The Los Angeles Evening Herald. Los Angeles. 18 August 1913. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
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