John
Wilson was born in Greatham, near Hartlepool in 1837. At the age of
ten Wilson was working in the Stanhope Ironstone Quarry for just over
4d. a day. Three years later he moved to Ludworth Colliery.
In 1856 Wilson went to sea and for a while worked in Pennsylvania
and Illinois in the USA. He returned to England and in 1869 helped
establish the Durham Miners Association.
Wilson held several posts in the Miners' Federation
including treasurer, financial secretary and corresponding secretary.
Wilson was also a Primitive Methodist
and after 1870 was a lay preacher.
Wilson, a member of the Liberal Party,
was elected to the House of Commons in
the 1885 General Election. Wilson lost his
Houghton seat in the 1886 General Election.
After the death of William Crawford,
Wilson became MP for Mid-Durham and held the seat for the next twenty-five
years. John Wilson died in 1915.
Available from Amazon Books
(order below)
