Biography - CHARLES W. WILSON
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. Converses & 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 Cosier, who was for twenty years president of the Douglas
County Fair.
Extracted 11 Sep 2019 by Norma Hass from the Historical and Biographical Record of Douglas County, Illinois, published in 1900, page 248.
