Will Reid Wilson, Sr. (July 29, 1912 – December 14, 2005), was an American politician and lawyer who served as attorney general of Texas from 1957-1963.[1][2]

Will Reid Wilson, Sr.
41st Attorney General of Texas
In office 1957–1963
Governor	Allan Shivers Price Daniel
Preceded by	John Ben Shepperd
Succeeded by	Waggoner Carr
Assistant United States Attorney General, Criminal Division
In office 1969–1971
Texas Supreme Court Associate Justice
In office 1951–1956
Dallas County District Attorney
In office 1947–1951
Personal details
Born	(1912-07-29)July 29, 1912 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 14, 2005(2005-12-14) (aged 93) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	Texas State Cemetery in Austin
Political party	Democratic; later Republican
Spouse(s)	Marjorie Lou Ashcroft Wilson (married 1948-1984, her death)
Children	Two
Residence(s)	Austin, Texas
Alma mater	University of Oklahoma Southern Methodist University
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Rank	Major
Battles/wars	World War II

Career

Wilson was a senior partner in a Dallas law firm and also served as a Texas state Supreme Court justice, and Texas attorney general. He was head of the Criminal Justice Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in the Nixon administration.

Role in Nixon Use of Justice Department Against Political Enemies

Wilson was appointed by Attorney General John Mitchell in 1970 to supervise the Internal Revenue Service investigation into the tax returns of Alabama Gov. George Wallace, the governor's brother, Gerald Wallace, and financial supporters who had done business with the state of Alabama. Dubbed the Alabama Project by Mitchell, the oversight was a result of President Richard Nixon's keen interest in pressing for eventual indictment of George Wallace prior to the 1972 presidential election. (Wilson in 1970 had provided U.S. Rep. Gerald Ford with derogatory information about Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas in an effort to impeach or otherwise force Douglas to retire; Nixon had suggested to Wilson that he might be nominated to the court.) Shortly after Wallace decided to drop a third-party bid for president and focus on the Democratic nomination, the Nixon administration decided not to pursue the criminal case.[3]

Wilson was forced out of the Nixon administration after he became embroiled in a Texas stock scandal.

References