Charlie Wilson (Texas politician)
| Charlie Wilson | |
|---|---|
(Photo ca. 1995)
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 2nd district |
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In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | John Dowdy |
| Succeeded by | Jim Turner |
| Member of the Texas Senate from District 3 (Lufkin) | |
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In office 1967–1971 |
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| Preceded by | Martin Dies, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Don Adams |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 6 (Trinity) | |
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In office 1963–1967 |
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| Preceded by | Steve Burgess |
| Succeeded by | David Crews |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 18 (Trinity) | |
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In office 1961–1963 |
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| Preceded by | William Winston |
| Succeeded by | David Crews |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Charles Nesbitt Wilson June 1, 1933 Trinity, Texas |
| Died | February 10, 2010 (aged 76) Lufkin, Texas |
| Resting place |
Arlington National Cemetery Arlington, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jerry Wilson (divorced) Barbara Alberstadt |
| Alma mater | United States Naval Academy |
| Occupation | Naval officer Congressman |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
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| Service/branch |
 United States Navy
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| Years of service | 1956-1960 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
Charles Nesbitt "Charlie" Wilson (June 1, 1933 – February 10, 2010) was a United States naval officer and former 12-term Democratic United States Representative from Texas's 2nd congressional district.
Wilson is best known for leading Congress into supporting Operation Cyclone, the largest-ever Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) covert operation which, under the Carter and Reagan administration, supplied military equipment including anti-aircraft weapons such as obsolete FIM-43 Redeye MANPADS surface-to-air antiaircraft missiles and paramilitary officers from their Special Activities Division to the Afghan Mujahideen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan. 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 subsequent film Charlie Wilson's War starring Tom Hanks as Wilson.
Wilson was born in the small town of Trinity, Texas, to Charles Edwin Wilson, an accountant for a local timber company, and Wilmuth (née Nesbitt), a local florist, on June 1, 1933. Wilson had one younger sister, Sharon Wilson Allison, former chair of Planned Parenthood and president of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, who currently resides in Waco, Texas.
Growing up, Wilson attended Trinity public schools and, upon graduation from Trinity High School in 1951, he attended one semester at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, before being appointed to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. While at Annapolis, Wilson earned the second most demerits in the history of the academy (his roommate, Robert Mullen, earned the most demerits). Wilson graduated eighth from the bottom of his class in 1956 with a B. S. in Engineering, specializing in electronics.
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