Wilson died shortly after receiving the 1942 Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe entitled "Crusader in Crinoline" (1941).
Served as a captain during the First World War with the US Army Chemical Warfare Service and later (1923-1927) as Assistant Secretary of War charged with gathering historical data on the conflict.
Daughter Deniston (Denny) and her husband, Bill Markas, were a successful Southern California real estate team.