Emanuel Willis Wilson

Who was Emanuel Willis Wilson?

Emanuel Willis Wilson was the seventh Governor of West Virginia in 1884. He is most notable for being the Governor during the period of the Hatfield-McCoy feud. Wilson was married to Henrietta Cotton. When the Legislature disputed the Election of 1888, both Governor Wilson and State Senate President Robert S. Carr claimed the right to sit as Governor until the dispute was resolved. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia ruled that Wilson should remain Governor. He left office on February 6, 1890 because the Legislature had decided Aretas B. Fleming had defeated Nathan Goff, Jr.. After leaving the Governor's Office, Wilson had an unsuccessful bid for Congress. He died on May 28, 1905.