Charlie Wilson Biography

<p><b>Biography:</b> politician. Charles Wilson was born June 1, 1933, in the small town of Trinity, Texas.  He attended public schools there and graduated from Trinity High School in 1951. 

While attending Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, Wilson was appointed to the United States Naval Academy.  He received a B.S. degree, graduating eighth from the bottom of his class in 1956.

From 1956 to 1960, Wilson served in the U.S. Navy, attaining the rank of lieutenant.  Having graduated as a gunnery office, he was assigned to a destroyer that searched for Soviet submarines.  He then took a top secret post the Pentagon as part of an intelligence unit that evaluated the Soviet Union’s nuclear forces. 

Wilson stumbled into politics by volunteering for John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign in 1960.  After a 30-day leave from the Navy, he entered his name into the race for Texas State Representative from his home district.  While back on duty, his mother, sister and their friends went door to door campaigning.  It worked.  And at age 27, he was sworn into office.

For the next dozen years, Wilson made a name for himself as the “liberal from Lufkin.”  He supported abortion rights and the Equal Rights Amendment.  Wilson also battled for regulation of utilities, Medicaid, tax exemptions for the elderly and a minimum wage bill.