Born in Ohio, Illinois, Wilson attended public schools, and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

He was appointed general counsel of the Office of Alien Property Custodian of the United States Department of Justice in 1922, serving until 1927.

In a memorandum written in 1924, Wilson condemned "acts of spoliation" that occurred in 1919-1920, first, under the watch of A. Mitchell Palmer, and then — his successor, Francis Patrick Garvan, Lawyers dipped into the funds of the Alien Property Custodian to a shameful extent.

The only advantage gained was by the purchasers, many of them friends of the Alien Property Custodian, who profited by getting large assets for inadequate prices.

In this respect commercial "hostilities" were carried on down through 1920 for the profit of a few private individuals at the expense of the United States Treasury and of the national integrity.