He received his education in Carleton County[1] and, with his family, homesteaded on Beaver Creek near Hanley in 1883.
[3] After leaving home, Wilson worked in Moose Jaw, as guide for the transport department during the North-West Rebellion and served as a railway contractor along with his brother from 1884 to 1885.
The two brothers started Wilson Bros., a livery business;[1] they later sold the company and began trading in carriages, harnesses and automobiles.
In November 1925, Wilson was elected mayor of Saskatoon by acclamation, succeeding William Harvey Clare.
[1] In 2006 it was found that a joint account (which he shared with a priest) had a total of $938.06 in it and the amount had remained unclaimed for the past 77 years.