Robert Edward Lee Wilson (March 5, 1865 – September 27, 1933) was the creator and owner of Lee Wilson and Company, a group of large cotton plantations in Mississippi County,Arkansas.
Acquiring much of his father's former swamplands, Wilson formed a logging and farming business that would become one of the largest and most successful in the United States. Wilson founded many company towns for his workers, including Armorel, Marie, Victoria, and Wilson, and was one of the most influential Arkansans of his time. A period company brochure claims the Wilson & Company grounds to be the world's largest plantation.
Robert Edward Lee Wilson | |
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Born | Robert Edward Lee Wilson March 5, 1865 Frenchman's Bayou, Mississippi County, Arkansas |
Died | September 27, 1933 (aged 68) |
Resting place
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Wilson town square 35°34′7″N 90°2′33″W |
Other names | R. E. L. Wilson, Lee Wilson |
Occupation | Owner of Lee Wilson & Company, plantation owner, railroad builder, logger |
Years active | 1886–1933 |
Known for | Lee Wilson & Company |
Home town | Wilson, Arkansas |
Successor | Robert E. Lee Wilson Jr, James H. Crain |
Board member of
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Arkansas State Highway Commission, Arkansas State University |
Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Beall |
Parents | Josiah Wilson and Martha Parsons Wilson |
Source: Wikipedia