Charlie Wilson (politician)
American politician (1933-2010) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Nesbitt Wilson (June 1, 1933 – February 10, 2010) was an American politician and naval officer. He was a 12-term Democratic United States Representative from Texas's 2nd congressional district.
Quick Facts Preceded by, Succeeded by ...
Charlie Wilson | |
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![]() Photo ca. 1995 | |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 2nd district | |
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1997 | |
Preceded by | John Dowdy |
Succeeded by | Jim Turner |
Member of the Texas Senate from District 3 (Lufkin) | |
In office 1967–1971 | |
Preceded by | Martin Dies, Jr. |
Succeeded by | Don Adams |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 6 (Trinity) | |
In office 1963–1967 | |
Preceded by | Steve Burgess |
Succeeded by | David Crews |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 18 (Trinity) | |
In office 1961–1963 | |
Preceded by | William Winston |
Succeeded by | David Crews |
Personal details | |
Born | Charles Nesbitt Wilson (1933-06-01)June 1, 1933 Trinity, Texas, U.S. |
Died | February 10, 2010(2010-02-10) (aged 76) Lufkin, Texas, U.S. |
Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Jerry Wilson (divorced) Barbara Alberstadt |
Alma mater | United States Naval Academy, B.S. 1956 |
Occupation | Naval officer Congressman |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1956–1960 |
Rank | ![]() |
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Wilson is best known for leading Congress into supporting Operation Cyclone, the largest-ever Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) covert operation under the Carter and Reagan administration.
His behind-the-scenes campaign was the subject of the non-fiction book Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History by George Crile III and the movie Charlie Wilson's War, starring Tom Hanks as Wilson.
Wilson died of cardiopulmonary arrest in Lufkin, Texas on February 10, 2010 at the age of 76.[1]