Will R. Wilson

Will R. Wilson, Sr. was born on July 29, 1912, in Dallas, Texas. He passed away Wednesday, December 14, 2005 in Austin. His mother was Kate Wilson and father, Will R. Wilson; sister, Kathryn Wilson, and brother, Joe B. Wilson. He graduated from Highland Park High School, the University of Oklahoma, and was first in his class at SMU Law School, where he has been named Distinguished Graduate. He was a lawyer at Turner, Rogers, and Wynn, and served as aide to Mayor Woodall Rogers. He served as Assistant Attorney General of Texas. He served as Major, United States Army, in New Guinea and the Philippines, where he was on the staff of Generals Kruger and I.P. Swift, as well as Battalion Commander of the 465th Field Artillery. He accepted the surrender of General Yamashita’s staff and was awarded the Bronze Star for heroism in combat by Gen. I. P. Swift. Will returned to Dallas and was elected as District Attorney of Dallas County, where he served from 1946 to 1950. He was elected to the Texas Supreme Court, where he served as an Associate Justice from 1950 to 1956. He was elected as the Attorney General of Texas, where he served from 1957 thru 1962. He was awarded the Wyman Memorial Award for 1959-1960 as the Outstanding Attorney General in the United States. He co-founded the law firm Wilson, Kendall, Koch, and Randall in Austin, Texas. He served as Assistant Attorney General of the United States from 1969 thru 1971, where he was in charge of the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice. He also served as a director of the Brushy Creek WCID and Upper Brushy Creek WCID in Williamson County, Texas for two decades. He loved ranching on the Brushy Creek Ranch in Williamson County and the Little River Ranch in Milam County, Texas. He was also Chairman of the Cullum and Boren Company and of the Wilson Land and Cattle Company. He was predeceased by his wife of 36 years, Marjorie Lou Ashcroft Wilson. He is survived by his sister, Kathryn Smith; his daughter, Lou Ellen Loving and her husband, George Horace Loving; his son, former District Judge Will R. Wilson, Jr. and his wife, Mary Pincoffs Wilson; and five grandchildren, Heather Christian Attridge and her husband Byron Attridge, Jr., Reid Blair Fleming, Will Reid Wilson, III, Thomas Lloyd Wilson, and Robert Edmund Wilson. He survived one world war, seven contested elections, untold booms and busts, and three fatal diseases. He is the author of one published book and an unpublished work. He was known for running the gangsters out of Dallas, the gamblers out of Galveston, personally trying the Tidelands case, together with Governor Price Daniel, J. Chrys Dougherty, and Judge James P. Hart, which has resulted in over $10 billion dollars being recovered by the Permanent School fund of Texas, as well as attending every single Austin High School football game in which his grandsons played. He was a soldier, lawyer, judge, rancher, magnificent storyteller and beloved dad and granddad. We will all miss him. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 17th, at Tarrytown United Methodist Church, 2601 Exposition. Burial will follow at 3:00 p.m. at the Texas State Cemetery, 909 Navasota St., Austin. His family wishes to thank the healing angels at the Summit at Westlake Hills, and his physician, David Pohl, M.D. They further ask that anyone wishing to make a memorial, please make it to the Settlement Home, 1600 Peyton Gin Road, Austin, TX 78758 or to Hospice Austin, 4107 Spicewood Springs Road, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78759 . Obituary and guestbook available online at wcfish.com