James Wilson

U.S. Representative
Born
August 16, 1835
Died
August 26, 1920
Age at death
85
Home state
Iowa
Party
Republican
On the ballot
1872–1884
3-1
RecordWin–Loss
Total Popular Votes
Wilson40,051
Opponents61,194
4
Elections run

Between 1872 and 1884, James Wilson ran in 4 U.S. House elections, winning 3 and losing 1. Wilson's biggest single-election total was 15,531 votes, in the 1872 U.S. House election in Iowa's District 5. Wilson's closest win came in the 1882 U.S. House election in Iowa's District 5, decided by 23 votes.

Browse every U.S. House race in Iowa's District 5 or all 1884 U.S. House races.

How many votes has James Wilson received?

James Wilson has received 40,051 popular votes across 4 U.S. elections, with a career record of 3–1.

Election history

James Wilson’s election history
YearOfficeResultVotesOpponent(s)
1884U.S. HouseIowaLost40.01%Benjamin Frederick (head-to-head)
Jim Smith

Enoch Lewis
1882U.S. HouseIowaWon11,79147.5%Benjamin Frederick (head-to-head)
David Platner
1874U.S. HouseIowaWon12,72562.96%A W Wilkinson
Burnett

W H Robb

John Waller

John Robbins
1872U.S. HouseIowaWon15,53167.62%J P Irish
James Gameon
Identity & sources. Identity verified against the Congressional Bioguide (W000590) and Wikidata (Q373094). Election results come from official certified totals and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab; see methodology.
Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “James Wilson: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/james-wilson. Accessed [date].

Compiled by PolitiFinder. Election results from official certified sources and the MIT Election Lab. See Data & sources and methodology. Data last verified July 28, 2026.