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H
 W
.
Great honor is due any man who rises from the shoe-maker's bench to be
Vice-President of the United States. Such a man was Henry Wilson, who
was born at Farmington, New Hampshire, February 16th, 1812. When yet a
mere child he was apprenticed to a farmer, whom he was to serve until of
age. Eleven long years did he serve this man, receiving only about one
year's schooling during that time, but he borrowed books and read nearly
one thousand volumes during the "wee sma' hours" of his apprenticeship.
Upon obtaining his majority he started on foot for Natick, Massachusetts,
and entered the town with all his worldly possessions in a bundle. Obtaining
employment as a shoemaker he was thus occupied for the next two years.
His course of reading, so faithfully followed, had made him proficient in
history, but thirsting for additional knowledge he decided to attend school
with the money he had saved. About this time he went to Washington, when
the sight of slaves bought and sold excited his sympathy, and he decided to
forever oppose with all his might the institution of bondage, which he
always did, no matter how found. Upon his return he found his earnings
swept away by the failure of the man to whom he had intrusted them.
Accordingly he resumed the shoe business, but his light was beginning to
be seen. He was invited to partake in the anti-slavery meetings, then so
frequent in Massachusetts, and actively engaged in the campaign in which
Harrison was elected President, making over sixty speeches.
In 1843 he was elected to the State Senate. Also manufactured shoes on an
extended scale for the southern market. The old Whig party, with whom he
had been so earnestly allied, proving itself unable to cope with the slave
power, by rejecting the anti-slavery resolutions at the convention of 1843,
he withdrew from it. Later, he was a conspicuous figure in the organization
of the new Free Soil party, being the Chairman of the committee in his
State, and editor of the 
Boston Republican
. In 1850-52 he was president of
the State Senate, and in '52 presided at the Free Soil contention at

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Pittsburgh. The next year he was the Free Soil candidate for Governor of
Massachusetts, but was defeated. In 1855 he was chosen United States
Senator, where he distinguished himself. When his colleague, Mr. Sumner,
was attacked by Preston S. Brooks, Mr. Wilson fearlessly denounced it as a
cowardly, not to say dastardly assault. He was immediately challenged by
Mr. Brooks, but declined on the ground that dueling is a barbarous custom
which the law of the country has branded as a crime. He was one of the
leaders in the new Republican party movement.
During the civil war his labors were indefatigable for the Union, and in
1872 he was elected on that ticket with Grant by an overwhelming majority.
He died in office, November 22nd, 1875, and the boy shoemaker was
mourned by a great nation. Truly, the price of success is patient toil.

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