Woodrow Wilson (August 28, 1915 – December 25, 1999) was an American politician and banker who was the first African American to serve in the Nevada Assembly. A Republican, he served from 1966 to 1972 representing part of Clark County, Nevada. He later served on the Clark County Commission.
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Early life and career
Wilson was born in Morton, Mississippi, in 1915. He graduated from Piney Woods Country Life School in Mississippi in 1934 and, after several years as an itinerant laborer in Arizona and Chicago, moved to Las Vegas in 1942. There he obtained employment at the American Potash and Chemical Company, where he worked for thirty-eight years, retiring as a foreman. In 1951 he co-founded Westside Federal Credit Union to provide loans and credit to African Americans and other minorities in Clark County, serving as the credit union's treasurer-manager for 42 years and remaining on its board of directors until his death.
Political career
During the 1950s, WIlson became active in civic affairs and the civil rights movement. He served as president and board member of the Las Vegas chapter of the NAACP and went on to chair the state advisory committee for the United States Commission on Civil Rights in 1957.