Wilson, James (b. Sept. 14, 1742, Fife, Scot.—d. Aug. 21, 1798, Edenton, N.C., U.S.) American colonial lawyer, politician, and jurist. Immigrating to North America in 1765, he taught Greek and rhetoric in the College of Philadelphia and then studied law under John Dickinson. In 1774 he published a widely read treatise proposing a commonwealth of British colonies. He was a member of the Committee of Correspon¬ dence, a delegate to the Continental Congress (1775-77), and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He helped draft the U.S. Constitution and the Pennsylvania state constitution and delivered lectures that became landmarks in American jurisprudence. He served on the U.S. Supreme Court (1789-98).
Wilson, Lanford (Eugene) (b. April 13, 1937, Lebanon, Mo., U.S.) U.S. playwright. He began writing plays in 1962 and became cofounder and director of the Circle Repertory Company (1969-95), a regional the¬ atre in New York City. His plays, which are known for their experimen¬ tal staging, simultaneous dialogue, and deferred character exposition, include Lemon Sky (1970), the long-running hit The Hot l Baltimore (1973), The Mound Builders (1975), Talley’s Folly (1979, Pulitzer Prize), Burn This (1987), and By the Sea (1996).
Wilson, Richard (b. Aug. 1, 1714, Penegoes, Montgomeryshire, Wales—d. May 15, 1782, Llanberis, Carnarvonshire) Welsh landscape painter. He worked as a portraitist for many years, but after a lengthy stay in Italy (1750-57) he worked almost exclusively in landscape, except for numerous drawings of Roman sites and buildings that he used in com¬ posing Italianate landscapes. A set of drawings made for Lord Dartmouth (dated 1754) show that he tempered his delicate observation of light and distance with the discipline of such 17th-century Classicists as Nicolas Poussin. The landscapes he produced after his return to Britain influenced J.M.W. Turner and John Constable.
Wilson, Robert W(oodrow) (b. Jan. 10, 1936, Houston, Texas, U.S.) U.S. radio astronomer. He joined Bell Laboratories in 1963 and
Edmund Wilson
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headed its Radio Physics Research Department (1976-94). With his col¬ league Arno Penzias, he detected the cosmic background radiation, a dis¬ covery for which the two men shared a 1978 Nobel Prize (with Pyotr Kapitsa [1894-1984], who was honoured for research unrelated to theirs).
Wilson, Teddy orig. Theodore Shaw Wilson (b. Nov. 24, 1912, Austin, Texas, U.S.—d. July 31, 1986, New Britain, Conn.) U.S. pianist and bandleader. He began recording as the leader of small groups in 1935. These recordings, often featuring vocalist Billie Holiday, are classics of small-group swing. Wilson joined Benny Goodman’s trio in 1936. After 1940 he worked primarily as a leader of small ensembles or as a solo pianist, showcasing his tasteful and refined amalgam of the styles of Fats Waller, Earl Hines, and Art Tatum.
Wilson, William Julius (b. Dec. 20, 1935, Derry Township, Pa., U.S.) U.S. sociologist. He spent 24 years on the University of Chicago faculty before moving to Harvard University in 1996. In The Declining Signifi¬ cance of Race (1978) and The Truly Disadvantaged (1987) he contends that entrenched black poverty stems neither from racism nor from welfare dependency but from changes in the global economy that pull low-skilled manufacturing jobs out of the inner city. In When Work Disappears (1996) he discusses, among other issues, how chronic joblessness erodes work skills. Wilson holds that only “race neutral” programs such as universal health care and government-financed jobs can alleviate the problems of black poverty in the inner city.
Wilson, (Thomas) Woodrow (b. Dec. 28, 1856, Staunton, Va., U.S.—d. Feb. 3, 1924, Washington, D.C.) 28th president of the U.S. (1913-21). He earned a law degree and later received his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. He taught political science at Princeton Uni¬ versity (1890-1902). As its president (1902-10), he introduced various reforms. With the support of progressives, he was elected governor of New Jersey. His reform measures attracted national attention, and he became the Democratic Party presidential nominee in 1912. His campaign emphasized his progressive New Freedom policy, and he defeated The¬ odore Roosevelt and William H. Taft to win the presidency. As president, he approved legislation that lowered tariffs, created the Federal Reserve System, established the Federal Trade Commission, and strengthened labour unions. In foreign affairs he promoted self-government for the Philippines and sought to contain the Mexican civil war. From 1914 he maintained U.S. neutrality in World War I, offering to mediate a settle¬ ment and initiate peace negotiations. After the sinking of the Lusitania (1915) and other unarmed ships, he obtained a pledge from Germany to stop its submarine campaign. Campaigning on the theme that he had “kept us out of war,” he was narrowly reelected in 1916, defeating Charles Evans Hughes. Germany’s renewed submarine attacks on unarmed passenger ships caused Wilson to ask for a declaration of war in April 1917. In a continuing effort to negotiate a peace agreement, he presented the Four¬ teen Points (1918). He led the U.S. delegation to the Paris Peace Confer¬ ence. The Treaty of Versailles faced opposition in the Senate from the Republican majority led by Henry Cabot Lodge. In search of popular sup¬ port for the treaty and its provision creating the League of Nations, Wil¬ son began a cross-country speaking tour, during which he collapsed. He returned to Washington, D.C. (September 1919), where he suffered a mas¬ sive stroke that left him partially paralyzed. In the months that followed, his wife Edith controlled access to him, made some decisions by default, and engineered a cover-up of his condition. He rejected any attempts to compromise his version of the League of Nations and urged his Senate followers to vote against ratification of the treaty, which was defeated in 1920. He was awarded the 1919 Nobel Prize for Peace.
Wilson disease or hepatolenticular Vhi-.pat-o-bn-.tik-yo-bA degeneration Recessive hereditary defect (see recessiveness) that impairs one’s ability to metabolize copper. In affected persons, copper accumulates in the basal ganglia (see ganglion) of the brain (involved in control of movement), causing progressive degeneration; forms a brown¬ ish ring at the margin of the cornea of the eye; and is deposited in the liver, gradually leading to cirrhosis. Other symptoms include tremor, lack of coordination, and personality changes. The disease usually appears in the person’s teen years or twenties. Early diagnosis and treatment with a high-protein, low-copper diet and a substance to chelate copper can reverse the effects and prevent permanent brain and liver damage.
Wilson's Promontory Southernmost point of the Australian main¬ land, southern Victoria. The peninsula, 22 mi (35 km) long with a maxi¬ mum width of 14 mi (23 km), projects into the Bass Strait and is almost
an island. Its highest point is Mount Latrobe (2,475 ft [754 m]). Visited in 1798 by the English explorer George Bass, it was first called Fumeaux Land; it was renamed for Thomas Wilson, an English merchant. In 1905 it was made a national park.
Wiltshire Vwilt-.shhA Administrative (pop., 2001: 432,973), geographic, and historic county, southern England. It is located in a watershed sepa¬ rating the basins of the Bristol Channel, the English Channel, and the River Thames; its administrative centre is Trowbridge. Chalk uplands constitute much of the county, and in prehistoric times they were the most heavily populated parts of England; Wiltshire has many prehistoric monuments, including Stonehenge and Iron Age hill forts. The town of Salisbury, long an ecclesiastical centre, is renowned for its cathedral. There is an indus¬ trial centre at Swindon; otherwise, agriculture is the most important eco¬ nomic activity.