| John Williams Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1798 Bristol, England |
| Died | 1857 (aged 58–59) Valparaíso, Chile |
| Allegiance | Chile |
| Service/branch | Navy |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
John Williams Wilson (1798 - September 14, 1857) was an English sailor born in Bristol to a family with a long seafaring tradition. After acquiring his first sailing experience with his father, he traveled to South America, entering the Chilean Navy in 1824 and rising to the rank of lieutenant.[1]
Having participated in early 1826 in the campaign for the liberation of Chiloé Island, he became commander and later governor of Talcahuano (1849–1855). After marriage the following year to Doña Micaela Rebolledo, he rose to lieutenant commander. The couple had 3 sons, Horacio Luis, Rafael and Juan.
He was temporarily dismissed from the service for having defended General Ramón Freire Serrano, when he revolted against the government of President General Joaquín Prieto Vial. He was reinstated in 1838, accounting for his participation in the second year of the war against the Peru-Bolivian Confederation.
Years later, serving again as Maritime Governor of Chiloé, he received through the mayor Domingo Espiñeira the order of the President of the Republic, Don Manuel Bulnes Prieto, to mount an expedition to Magellanes.
After building a fifty ton, two gun, schooner called the "Ancud" in a location near Ancud, Captain Williams sailed to the Straits of Magellan, arriving on September 21, 1843 at Puerto San Felipe (Port Famine), where, with the solemnity of the case, proceeded to take possession of the Strait of Magellan on behalf of the Republic of Chile, incorporating it into their territory. The next day the French schooner "Phaeton" put in and, after saluting the Chilean flag, departed for Oceania.
He died at age 59 in Valparaíso on September 14, 1857. The Chilean town of Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino is named after him.