Charles Wilson (politician)

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Charlie Wilson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 2nd district
In office 1973-1997
Preceded by	John Dowdy
Succeeded by	Jim Turner
Born	June 1, 1933
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Single

Charles Wilson (born June 1, 1933) was a United States naval officer and Democratic United States Congressman from District Two in Texas.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Naval career 3 Entry into politics 4 External links

[edit] Early life

Wilson was born in the small town of Trinity, Texas where he attended public schools and graduated from Trinity High School in 1951. While a student at Sam Houston State University at Huntsville, Texas, he was appointed to the United States Naval Academy and received a B.S. from the Academy in 1956.

[edit] Naval career

Between 1956 and 1960, Wilson served in the United States Navy, where he attained the rank of lieutenant. He reportedly graduated eighth from the bottom of his class and held the distinction of having more demerits than any other graduate in Annapolis history.

Wilson graduated as a gunnery officer and was assigned to a destroyer involved in searching for Russian submarines. Following four years as a surface fleet officer, Wilson was assigned to a post at the Pentagon where he was part of an intelligence unit that evaluated the Soviet Union’s nuclear forces.

[edit] Entry into politics

In 1960, after taking 30 days leave from the Navy, Wilson, entered his name into the race for Texas State Representative from his home district. This action was against the regulations of the Navy as service members are prohibited from holding a public office while on active duty. His mother, sister, and their friends went door to door selling the idea of Wilson as a fresh, new candidate in Texas politics. In 1961 at age 27, he was sworn into office in Austin, Texas.

For the next 12 years, Wilson made his reputation in Texas as the "liberal from Lufkin," viewed with suspicion by business interests. He battled for the regulation of utilities, fought for Medicaid, tax exemptions for the elderly, the Equal Rights Amendment, and a minimum wage bill. He was also one of the only prominent Texas politicians to support abortion rights. Wilson was also notorious for his personal life, particularly drinking, picking up the nickname "Good Time Charlie." Additionally, Wilson staffed his office with young, tall, and attractive women who were dubbed "Charlie's Angels" by other members of Congress.

In the early summer of 1980, Wilson, a news junkie, read an Associated Press dispatch on the congressional wires, that described hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Afghanistan.

Not many, however, were paying attention, not even in the American government, when Wilson picked up a phone and called the Appropriations Committee staffer who dealt with "black appropriations", the CIA funds, and ordered him to double the current appropriation for Afghanistan. Wilson had just been named to the Defense Appropriations subcommittee. He was now part of the band of twelve men in the House responsible for funding CIA operations.

When Wilson first visited Afghanistan in 1982 it was the center of the Afghan military activity. His schedule called for the traditional tour of the U.N.-supported refugee camps. Without Charlie Wilson's actions, the Soviet Union might have crushed the Afghan resistance.^{[citation needed]} Charlie Wilson's actions, with the help of many others, helped bring down the communist government by supplying millions of dollars to the Afghan resistance to defeat the Soviet Red Army in Afghanistan. The Mujahideen operating in Afghanistan never received direct support from the CIA. The subsequent rise of the Taliban was a result of the post-war power vacuum. See Charlie Wilson's War By George Crile III. In the film version of the book, Congressman Wilson will be played by Tom Hanks.

[edit] External links

• BBC article on Afghan military history, refers to Wilson's involvment
• Lengthy article by George Crile, whose book is linked below
• Charlie Wilson's War at the Internet Movie Database
• Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History, by George Crile, ISBN 0-87113-854-9.
• This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Political offices
Preceded by William Winston	Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 18 (Trinity) 1961 – 1963	Succeeded by David Crews
Preceded by Steve Burgess	Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 6 (Lufkin) 1963 – 1967	Succeeded by David Crews
Preceded by Martin Dies, Jr.	Texas State Senator from District 3 (Lufkin) 1967 – 1973	Succeeded by Don Adams
Preceded by John Dowdy	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 2nd congressional district 1973 – 1997	Succeeded by Jim Turner