As we continue our “The Forgotten Seconds” series, tracing the lives of vice presidents who never became president, few offer a more profound story of transformation than Henry Wilson. Born into poverty under a different name, Wilson rose from a boy bound out to farm labor to a man who held one of the highest offices in the land. Along the way, he became one of the most principled voices for abolition and civil rights in American history.
Early Roots: The Colbath and Witham Families of New England
Henry Wilson was born on February 16, 1812, in Farmington, New Hampshire, but his name at birth was Jeremiah Jones Colbath. His father, Winthrop Colbath, was a day laborer and farmer descended from colonial New England settlers. The Colbath family line (sometimes spelled Colboth or Colbert in older records) is found in Strafford and Carroll Counties in New Hampshire, with earlier ties possibly reaching back to Massachusetts. While not prominent or wealthy, the Colbaths were among the many working-class families who had made their lives in rural New England for generations.
His mother, Abigail Witham Colbath, descended from the Witham family, which also had early colonial roots. The Withams settled in Maine and New Hampshire in the 1600s, and by the 1700s, they intermarried with other established New England families. It’s possible that Abigail’s family had Puritan or Congregationalist ties, which were common in the region during that time. However, neither side of Wilson’s family left much in the way of written records, wills, or land deeds. This makes deep genealogical research more challenging, but what is clear is that both parents came from modest, hardworking stock. They had little formal education, and there is no record of the family owning slaves—a fact that perhaps influenced young Jeremiah’s later convictions.
Wilson was one of several children in the Colbath family, though little is recorded about his siblings. What we do know is that his early life was marked by poverty and hardship.
Bound Out at Ten: A Childhood of Hard Labor
At just ten years old, young Jeremiah was bound out—a common practice at the time where poor children were contracted as laborers or apprentices to other families. For the next eleven years, he worked on a farm for another man, performing manual labor from dawn to dusk, receiving only basic food, shelter, and a limited amount of schooling during the winter months. His early years were marked by deprivation, yet also characterized by self-discipline. He later recalled reading hundreds of books by candlelight at night—everything from history to government to biography.
He had no formal schooling beyond the rudimentary basics, yet by the time he completed his indenture at 21, he was more educated than many college graduates. His thirst for knowledge, especially on the subject of freedom and equality, would shape the rest of his life.
From Jeremiah Colbath to Henry Wilson: Reinventing a Life
Upon gaining his freedom in 1833, Jeremiah made a bold decision: he legally changed his name to Henry Wilson. The reasons remain somewhat personal and partly symbolic. Some say he disliked the name “Jeremiah Colbath” because it reminded him of a disreputable drunkard in his hometown who bore the same name. Others believe he wanted to reinvent himself entirely and break ties with a painful past.
He selected “Henry Wilson” after a local Quaker family he respected. This change wasn’t merely cosmetic. It reflected a profound internal shift. He was now his own man, ready to make his way in the world.
The Natick Cobbler and a Self-Made Man
Wilson walked over 100 miles to Natick, Massachusetts, a small town near Boston, and began working as a shoemaker. He lived in a simple boarding house and took in piecework, stitching shoes and boots. It was here that he earned the nickname “The Natick Cobbler.”
He also began speaking publicly against slavery, attending abolitionist meetings, and writing political essays under the pen name “The Natick Cobbler.” His sharp mind and powerful convictions caught the attention of local leaders.
In 1840, he married Harriet Malvina Howe, a schoolteacher and daughter of a modest farming family. They had one son, Henry Hamilton Wilson, born in 1846. The younger Henry led a quiet life and never entered politics, though he reportedly admired his father greatly.
Early Political Career: The Free Soil Champion
Wilson first entered politics as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1841 and was subsequently elected to the State Senate. Initially aligned with the Whigs, Wilson broke away due to the party’s weak stance on slavery. He co-founded the Free Soil Party in 1848, a short-lived but influential group that opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories.
He became editor of the Boston Republican, a Free Soil newspaper, and built a reputation as a principled anti-slavery activist. Though he lost several early elections for Congress and governor, he remained a force in Massachusetts politics.
U.S. Senator and Radical Republican Leader
In 1855, Wilson was elected to the U.S. Senate as a Free Soiler. After the collapse of that party, he joined the new Republican Party and became one of its most outspoken members. He worked closely with Charles Sumner, his fellow Massachusetts senator, and was often referred to as the “workhorse” of the Republican reform wing.
During the Civil War, Wilson chaired the powerful Senate Committee on Military Affairs and worked tirelessly to provide funding, equipment, and organizational support to the Union Army. He championed the inclusion of Black soldiers and pushed for equal pay for all troops.
He was also a key supporter of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, which abolished slavery, granted citizenship to freedmen, and extended voting rights regardless of race. He authored several civil rights bills and gave speeches denouncing the Ku Klux Klan and other threats to Reconstruction.
In 1872, he published his three-volume history titled The Rise and Fall of the Slave Power in America, a work documenting how slavery had corrupted American politics and society. It remains one of the most valuable first-person political records of the period.
Vice President Under Ulysses S. Grant
When Ulysses S. Grant sought reelection in 1872, his administration was plagued by scandal, most notably the Credit Mobilier affair, which had tainted several leading Republicans, including outgoing Vice President Schuyler Colfax. Grant needed a running mate known for honesty and integrity.
Henry Wilson was selected as a candidate who could restore trust. He accepted, reluctantly at first, but was elected with Grant that fall. He took office on March 4, 1873.
Unfortunately, Wilson’s health declined almost immediately. In May 1873, just months into his term, he suffered a severe stroke that left him partially paralyzed. Though he recovered somewhat, he was never again fully active in public affairs. Still, he continued to write, meet with activists, and speak when able.
His vice presidency was largely ceremonial due to his illness, and he had little influence on policy decisions. But he remained a beloved figure among Radical Republicans and reformers, who saw in him a symbol of incorruptible service.
Sudden Death at the Capitol
On November 22, 1875, Wilson died of a second stroke in the Vice President’s Room at the U.S. Capitol. He was found unconscious at his desk, having collapsed while preparing to meet with a delegation of educators. He was 63 years old.
His body lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda, making him only the second vice president in U.S. history to die in office. President Grant, senators, and representatives gathered for his funeral, and thousands mourned across the country.
He was buried in Old Dell Park Cemetery in Natick, where a large monument now marks his grave.
The Legacy of Henry Wilson
Henry Wilson’s legacy is profound, even if it has faded from public memory. He was a man of humble origins who remade himself, not through wealth or power, but through character and conviction. He devoted his life to abolition, education, and equality—decades before civil rights would become a national movement.
Pros:
- Tireless advocate for the abolition of slavery
- Helped draft major Civil War and Reconstruction legislation
- Viewed as one of the most honest men in Washington
- Inspired generations of self-made leaders
Cons:
- Lacked charisma and public speaking flair
- Had little influence during his vice presidency due to illness
- Sometimes took rigid moral stances that alienated moderates
Despite these shortcomings, Wilson was respected across party lines as a man with no personal ambition beyond serving. He refused to enrich himself or play party politics. Frederick Douglass once referred to him as a “faithful friend of the Negro,” a title Wilson treasured.
His example lives on in the streets and schools named after him in Massachusetts, as well as in the quiet record of a life spent standing up for those with no voice.
