Hon. Hudson Wilson was the banker of Faribault, Minnesota. He was born in the town of Concord, Lake County, Ohio, on November 10, 1830, the son of Orrin and Harriet (Winchell) Wilson. Both his parents were from old Connecticut families who migrated to Ohio in the early settlement of that state. Orrin Wilson was a farmer, and his son Hudson Wilson spent his early life as a farmer’s boy. At the age of sixteen, he entered the Kirtland Academy, and after completing his education, he went to Painesville, the county seat, and engaged in mercantile business.
In 1855, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where for two years he engaged in the hardware trade. Early in February 1857, he came to Minnesota and settled in Faribault. Here, in company with a cousin, Hiram Wilson, he opened a private bank, the firm name being H. Wilson & Company, which continued for seven years without change. In 1864, Hiram Wilson withdrew, and Zenus S. Wilson, a younger brother of our subject, took his place, and the business continued under the same name for another seven years.
In 1871, the Citizen’s National Bank of Faribault was incorporated, with Wilson Hudson as president and Z. S. Wilson as cashier, with Mr. Hudson still retaining the presidency. For forty-three years, Hudson Wilson has been continuously engaged in banking in Faribault and has the distinction of being longer in the business than any other banker in the state, and his bank has always been regarded as one of the most solid financial institutions in the state. Mr. Wilson was for thirty-three years a trustee and the treasurer of the State School for Defectives, and he was chairman of the board of county commissioners for nine years.
In politics, Hudson Wilson was a strong Republican but is not a politician. He was elected a member of the House of Representatives in 1888 and served one term, but he never sought public office. He is a man who commands the respect and confidence of the community and is a thoroughly reliable and trustworthy citizen. He is a member of the Congregational Church and a trustee of that society. Hudson Wilson was married on January 10, 1855, to Miss Sarah B. Pease, of Painsville, Ohio. To them were born three daughters: Lizzie L. (Mtb. I. A. Barnes, of Minneapolis), Hattie (Mrs. W. E. Blodget, of Faribault), and Carrie S., who died in childhood.
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