James “Tama Jim” Wilson (1835-1920)

U.S. Congressman, Presidential Cabinet Secretary. Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, he immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1852 and finally settled in Iowa in 1855. He attended the Grinnell Iowa College, taught school and engaged in agricultural pursuits. Entering politics, he was a member of the Iowa State House of Representatives (1868 to 1873). In 1873, he was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third and Forty-fourth Congresses, serving until 1877 and presented credentials as a Member-elect to the Forty-eighth Congress, serving (1883 to 1885). After leaving Congress, he was director and a professor of agriculture at the Iowa Agricultural College (1891 to 1897). In 1897, President McKinley appointed him the 4th Secretary of Agriculture, serving also on the cabinets of Presidents Roosevelt and Taft, until 1913. After leaving office, he lived in retirement until his death. He was the longest serving cabinet member in American history with a term of 15 years, 364 days.

Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith