John A. Wilson

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John A. Wilson (October 29, 1943, Baltimore, Maryland – May 19, 1993, Washington, D.C.) was an American politician.

Wilson served in 1974 as the chairman of the drive to approve the referendum to adopt the Home Rule Charter for the District of Columbia. The Home Rule Charter established the most democratic structure in the history of local government in the District of Columbia. The Charter, for the first time, allowed District residents to elect both a Mayor and a thirteen-member Council. After approval of the Charter in 1974, John Wilson successfully ran for election to the Council, representing Ward 2, which at that time was the most diverse ward in the city. He represented Ward 2 until he was sworn in as Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia on January 2, 1991. He served as Chairman until his death in 1993.

During Wilson's tenure as the Ward 2 representative to the Council, he chaired the Committee on Finance and Revenue and was widely acknowledged as an expert in municipal finances. His early warnings about government overspending proved prophetic, eventually leading the U.S. Congress to establish a financial control board to oversee the city's finances for a number of years.

Wilson compiled an impressive record of legislative accomplishments, ranging from housing to healthcare, to childhood welfare, to criminal justice and human rights. His legislative record includes controls on converting rental housing to condominiums, gun control, rent control, and expanded medical coverage for women and children. He wrote the District's tough anti-hate crimes laws, and its human rights law, which is one of the most comprehensive in the country.

During his Council years, Wilson was a Harvard Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He also attended the Senior Executive Program for State and Local Government at Harvard University.

In the 1960s, Wilson served in the civil rights movement, first with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and then with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He moved to Washington, D.C. as associate director of the National Sharecroppers Fund. He was also a former co-chair of the D.C. Democratic State Committee and was elected democratic national committeeman in 1992.

Over the years, Mr. Wilson was actively involved in numerous community organizations, including the Capitall Children's Museum, the Anchor Mental Health Association, the Salvation Army, the Metropolitan Boy's and Girl's Club, the Junior League, and the Concerned Citizens on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Wilson also received numbers awards and commendations for outstanding community service. These included a doctor of public service from the University of Maryland and a doctor of law from the District of Columbia Law School. In addition, he received the presidential citation from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, the tree of life award from the Jewish National Fund, and the 4-H Club distinguished alumnae award.