Wilson, Charles W.

The following data is extracted from Historical and Biographical Record of Douglas County, Illinois.

Charles W. Wilson, editor and proprietor of the Tuscola Review, was born fourteen miles west of Plainfield, Indiana, February 15, 1856, and in 1865 located in Tuscola. He attended school more or less up until fourteen years of age. In 1872 he entered the office of the Tuscola True Republican as office boy. The paper was owned by Charles Smith and was Democratic in politics. Later he entered the office of the Tuscola Gazette, which was edited by Hon. Leander B. Lester, now of Washington. Mr. Wilson remained here about one year when he went to the Review, then owned and edited by Converse & Park, who founded the paper July 23,1875. In 1876 he went on the printing force where he remained for some years. Con-verse & Park were succeeded by the well-known writer, Col. Phecian, who was the editor for six months; the latter was known as one of the wittiest writers the newspaper fraternity afforded. During this time he wrote a great deal for the Inter-Ocean, which kept him away a great deal, and this forced Mr. Wilson to take charge of the editorial tripod. Howard was succeeded by Major Asa Miller, who managed the paper up to December, 1892, when he sold out to Charles W. Wilson, who reconstructed the plant throughout, buying new machinery, and to-day issues every Friday one of the newsiest, wittiest and cleanest County newspapers published east, west, north or south. Mr. Wilson has a paid circulation of three thousand and there is little doubt but what his paper is read by twelve thousand people every week. His career as a newspaper man has been remarkable; commencing as the "editor's devil," he has become recognized as an able writer and all-round newspaper man. Within a year after he became proprietor the circulation of the paper became double. As to the newspaper history of Tuscola, college bred men have come and gone, who were writers on different papers of the city, but Mr. Wilson, who has educated himself, remains, and it is a fact that might be mentioned, that his paper, while Democratic, is .popular among the Republicans.

Mr. Wilson was united in marriage to Miss Christina Cosler, a daughter of the late Isaac Cosler, who was for twenty years president of the Douglas County Fair.

Source: Historical and Biographical Record of Douglas County, Illinois

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