Wilder, Amos Parker 1862 - 1936 | Wisconsin Historical Society

Historical Essay

Wilder, Amos Parker 1862 - 1936

Wilder, Amos Parker 1862 - 1936 | Wisconsin Historical Society
newspaperman, diplomat, b. Calais, Maine. He graduated from Yale Univ. (A.B., 1884; Ph.D., 1892). From 1882 to 1892 he edited the New Haven Palladium, and from 1892 to 1894 worked as an editorial writer in New York City. In 1894 he moved to Wisconsin, where he purchased a one-half interest in the Madison Wisconsin State Journal, and in 1901 acquired controlling interest. During his years in Madison (1894-1906), Wilder became an important figure in the political scene. An independent Republican, he at first supported Robert M. La Follette, Sr., (q.v.), but in 1903, for reasons never publicly divulged, diverted his editorial policy to support the Stalwart opposition. In 1906 Wilder left the state to serve by appointment from President Theodore Roosevelt as U.S. consul general at Hong Kong (1906-1909). He then held a similar position at Shanghai, and retired from government service in 1914. Returning to the U.S., he spent the remainder of his life in the East, held various important positions, and from 1921 to 1929 was associate editor of the New Haven Journal Courier. Who's Who in Amer., 19 (1936); Madison Wis. State Journal, July 3, 1936; A. O. Barton, La Follette's Winning of Wis. (Madison, 1922).

Learn More

Explore more than 1,600 people, places and events in Wisconsin history.

[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]