Representative Charles Herbert Wilson

Charles Herbert Wilson (February 15, 1917 – July 21, 1984) was a 20th‑century American banker, businessman, and Democratic politician from the Los Angeles area who served as a Representative from California in the United States Congress from 1963 to 1981. Over nine consecutive terms in the House of Representatives, he contributed to the legislative process as a member of the Democratic Party and represented the interests of his constituents during a significant period in modern American history.

Wilson was born in Magna, Utah, on February 15, 1917. In 1922 he moved with his parents to Los Angeles, California, where he was raised. He attended public schools in Los Angeles and in nearby Inglewood, California. These early years in Southern California, then undergoing rapid growth and demographic change, helped shape his familiarity with the economic and social concerns of the region he would later represent in state and national office.

After completing his schooling, Wilson entered the private sector and began working in banking. From 1935 to 1942 he was employed at a bank in Inglewood, gaining experience in finance and business administration that would later inform his work as a legislator. With the onset of World War II, he left his banking position to enter military service. Wilson served in the United States Army from June 1942 to December 1945, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. During his military service he was assigned to the European Theater of Operations, where he gained overseas experience in support of the Allied war effort.

Following his discharge from the Army in 1945, Wilson returned to Los Angeles and entered private business. That same year he opened his own insurance agency in the city, establishing himself as a businessman and entrepreneur. His work in insurance and his earlier banking experience solidified his reputation in the local business community and provided him with a practical understanding of economic and regulatory issues that would later feature in his public service.

Wilson’s political career began at the state level. He was elected to the California State Assembly from the 66th District and served there from 1955 to 1963. During his tenure in the Assembly, he represented a portion of the Los Angeles area and participated in state legislative deliberations during a period of substantial postwar growth and urban development in California. His service in Sacramento helped build the political base and legislative experience that would support his subsequent election to Congress.

In the 1962 elections, Wilson was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives. He took office on January 3, 1963, and served continuously until January 3, 1981. Over these nine terms, he represented a Los Angeles–area district, including what was designated as California’s 31st Congressional District, and participated in the democratic process during a period marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Great Society programs, and significant shifts in national economic and foreign policy. As a member of the House, Wilson contributed to the legislative process and advocated for the interests of his constituents. He is, to date, the last white congressman to have represented the 31st District, reflecting the evolving demographic and political landscape of his constituency.

Wilson’s congressional career was affected by controversy in its later years. On June 10, 1980, he was formally reprimanded by the House of Representatives for financial misconduct arising from the Koreagate scandal, a broader investigation into improper relationships between certain members of Congress and South Korean interests. The reprimand, a serious disciplinary action short of censure or expulsion, damaged his standing in Congress and among voters. In the 1980 Democratic primary, he was defeated for renomination by former California Lieutenant Governor Mervyn M. Dymally, a loss attributed in part to the reprimand by his colleagues and the public reaction to the scandal.

After leaving Congress in January 1981, Wilson resided in Tantallon, Maryland, near the nation’s capital. He lived there during his later years, remaining within the Washington metropolitan area where he had spent nearly two decades in federal office. Charles Herbert Wilson died in Clinton, Maryland, on July 21, 1984. He was interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California, returning in death to the community in which he had been educated, conducted business, and launched his political career.