Emmett’s best legal education came not at Stetson University (where he was the valedictorian of the 1904 law class; it came not at the hands of his esteemed and experienced older brother, Cephas Love Wilson, Esquire. It came when he was, essentially, fired from his dream job in Sterling, Illinois […]
In one of the Wilson family genealogies, there’s a curious statement recorded by Emmett’s nephew. It says: “…my mother always said that Emmett fell in with some rich Northern lumberman who started him drinking, and he drank himself to death.” Hm. A rich Northern lumberman. Who could that be? Over […]
Earlier today, a reader emailed me about a photo of pharmacy bottles embossed “Hargis Pharmacy”. The photo originated from a historic bottle collection website, http://www.mrbottles.com; unfortunately, the website hasn’t been updated in awhile. So, I referred the reader to my colleague, the excellent archivist Jacki Wilson, of the Pensacola Historical […]
Emmett’s story is still moving forward; as reported a few weeks ago, I’m nearing the end of the first installation of the book, which covers 1899-1906. At present, I’m deep in the last half of 1905, around Labor Day. It wasn’t a big, last-summer-hurrah vacation for Emmett, because in 1905, […]
This is 211 W. Cervantes Street, in Pensacola, Florida. Emmett lived here with the J. Walter Kehoe family from 1911 to early 1913, right up to when he left for Washington, D.C. to serve as U.S. Congressman for the third congressional district. The Kehoes rented this house, and it is […]
Friends, today I made a random check of historic newspaper databases, and I found a set that has been recently added to the University of Florida George A. Smathers Library Archive. This one: A totally new-to-me source that I haven’t seen either in microfilm or in hard copy to date. […]
I’m pleased to report that not only have I located Emmett’s doctors (both in Pensacola and Washington, D.C.), but I’ve also located his pharmacist. Pretty damn good History Detective work, huh? I’ll have more on the doctors in another post, but I thought I’d introduce you to the pharmacist first, […]
As everyone knows (especially here in D.C.), whenever there is a change in presidential administration, there’s a big turnover in political staff jobs. A new president means lots of new job openings, new opportunities. Most of the time, the turnover has nothing to do with the ability of the staff […]
On April 7, 1913, Emmett Wilson was sworn in as the youngest representative from Florida’s Third Congressional District, and the youngest congressman in the United States. Emmett knew that upon taking office, he was expected to resolve several pressing issues, namely: Reopening the Pensacola Naval Station. Procuring funding to renovate […]
Look what came in the mail this week! It is the history of the first 100 years of Stetson University by Gilbert Lycan, a longtime professor of history at Stetson. The book is out of print, but I found a great copy via Amazon from a used book store for […]
Tell my story. 