John Wilson may refer to:

Academics

  • John Wilson (historian) (1799–1870), author of Our Israelitish Origin (1840), a founding text of British Israelism
  • John Wilson (agriculturalist) (1812–1888), British agriculturalist
  • John Matthias Wilson (1814–1881), Oxford college head, clergyman and philosopher
  • John Wilson (Scottish mathematician) (1847−1896), Scottish mathematician and physicist
  • John Cook Wilson (1849–1915), English philosopher
  • John Hardie Wilson (1858−1920), Scottish botanist
  • J. Dover Wilson (John Dover Wilson, 1881–1969), British professor and scholar of Renaissance literature
  • John A. Wilson (Egyptologist) (1899–1976), American Egyptologist
  • John Wilson (industrial chemist) (1890–1976), British chemist
  • John Long Wilson (1914–2001), American medical professor and university administrator
  • John T. Wilson (1914–1990), president of the University of Chicago, 1975–1978
  • John Wilson (philosopher, born 1928) (1928–2003), British philosopher of education
  • John Stuart Wilson (born 1944), British mathematician
  • John Silvanus Wilson, American academic administrator, president of Morehouse College
  • John Wilson (public policy expert), professor of public policy and management at Glasgow Caledonian University

Architecture and engineering

  • John Wilson (English architect) (1781–1866), British Board of Ordnance clerk of works and architect in Guernsey
  • John A. Wilson (topographical engineer) (1789–1833), American chief engineer on the Columbia and Philadelphia Railroad
  • John William Wilson (architect) (1829–1915), architect in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
  • John Moulder Wilson (1837–1919), Union and United States Army engineer
  • John Appleton Wilson (1851–1927), American architect
  • John Wilson (Scottish architect) (1877−1959), hospital architect and author
  • John Armistead Wilson (1879–1954), Scottish-born Canadian engineer and aviation pioneer
  • John Tuzo Wilson (1908–1993), Canadian geophysicist

Entertainment

Art

  • John Wilson (painter, born 1774) (1774–1855), Scottish painter
  • John James Wilson (1818–1875), painter, son of John Wilson
  • John A. Wilson (sculptor) (1877–1954), Canadian sculptor in Nova Scotia
  • John David Wilson (1919–2013), English artist, animator and producer
  • John Woodrow Wilson (1922–2015), American lithographer, sculptor and art teacher

Film

  • John Wilson (filmmaker) (born 1986), American documentary filmmaker

Music

  • John Wilson (composer) (1595–1674), English composer and lutenist
  • John Wilson (singer) (1800–1849), Scottish tenor
  • John Wilson (drummer) (born 1947), drummer from Northern Ireland
  • Willie Wilson (drummer) (John Andrew Wilson, born 1947), English drummer, member of Quiver
  • Back Alley John (John Carl David Wilson, 1955–2006), Canadian blues singer, songwriter and harmonica player
  • John Wilson (conductor) (born 1972), British orchestral conductor

Writing

  • John Wilson (playwright) (1626–1696), English playwright
  • John Wilson (Scottish writer) (1785–1854), Scottish writer, pen name Christopher North
  • John Mackay Wilson (1804–1835), Scottish writer
  • John Marius Wilson (1805–1885), British writer
  • John Fleming Wilson (1877–1922), American author, newspaperman, and prolific writer
  • John S. Wilson (music critic) (1913–2002), American music critic and jazz radio host
  • John Burgess Wilson (1917–1993), British author, pen name Anthony Burgess
  • John Morgan Wilson (born 1945), American journalist and author
  • John Wilson (Canadian writer) (born 1951), children's writer, winner of the Norma Fleck Award
  • John J. B. Wilson (born 1954), founder of the Golden Raspberry Awards, 1980

Law

  • Sir John Wilson (English judge) (1741–1793), English mathematician and judge
  • John Wilson, Lord Ashmore (1857–1932), Scottish lawyer, parliamentary candidate, sheriff principal and judge
  • John H. Wilson, American judge from New York, author of the 2006 children's book Hot House Flowers

Military

  • John Wilson (British Army officer, died 1819) (c. 1765–1819), British general, Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada in 1816
  • Sir John Wilson (British Army officer, died 1856) (1780–1856), British general, acting Governor of British Ceylon in 1811–12 and 1831
  • John Williams Wilson (1798–1857), English sailor
  • John Alfred Wilson (1833–1904), American Civil War recipient of the Medal of Honor
  • John Wilson (Royal Navy officer) (1834–1885), British admiral
  • John Moulder Wilson (1837–1919), U.S. Army general and Medal of Honor recipient
  • John Wilson (Medal of Honor, born 1839), recipient of the Medal of Honor in the American Civil War
  • Jock Wilson (British Army soldier) (John Nicholson Wilson, 1903–2008), Scottish soldier and centenarian
  • John Wilson (Garda) (born 1962/63), Irish Garda officer and whistleblower

Politics and government

Canada

  • John Wilson (Ontario politician, born 1807) (1807–1869), lawyer, judge and politician in Ontario, Canada
  • John Henry Wilson (Canadian politician) (1834–1912), physician, professor and politician in Ontario, Canada
  • John Wilson (New Brunswick politician) (1861–1935), member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
  • John Cameron Wilson (fl. 1926–1934), member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
  • John Wilson (British Columbia politician) (born 1944), member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada

United Kingdom

  • John Wilson (Castle Rising MP), member of parliament in 1621
  • John Wilson (Mid Durham MP) (1837–1915), miner, trade unionist and Liberal-Labour politician
  • John William Wilson (1858–1932), Liberal member of parliament for Worcestershire North, 1895–1918, and Stourbridge, 1918–1922
  • John Charles Wilson (1892–1968), Northern Irish politician, Ulster Unionist member of parliament for Iveagh, 1933–1938
  • Sir John Wilson (civil servant) (1915–1993), British civil servant
  • John Wilson, 2nd Baron Moran (1924–2014), British diplomat
  • John Wilson (London politician) (born 1941), leader of Greater London Council in 1984

Scotland

  • John Wilson (Govan MP) (1828–1905), Liberal member of parliament for Govan, 1889–1900
  • John Wilson (Edinburgh MP) (1830–?), Independent Liberal member of parliament for Edinburgh Central, 1885–1886
  • John Wilson (Glasgow St Rollox MP) (1837–1928), member of parliament for Glasgow St Rollox, 1900–1906
  • Sir John Wilson, 1st Baronet (1844–1918), Unionist member of parliament for Falkirk Burghs
  • John Gray Wilson (1915–1968), Scottish advocate, sheriff, writer and Liberal Party politician
  • John Wilson (trade unionist, born 1920) (1920–1996), trade union general secretary
  • John Wilson (Scottish Green politician) (born 1956), member of the Scottish Parliament

United States

  • John Wilson (South Carolina politician, born 1773) (1773–1828), member of the U.S. House of Representatives
  • John Wilson (Massachusetts politician) (1777–1848), member of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1813
  • John Lyde Wilson (1784–1849), governor of South Carolina, 1822–1824
  • John Wilson (bureaucrat) (1807–1876), official in the Department of the Treasury and Department of the Interior
  • John Thomas Wilson (1811–1891), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio
  • John Frank Wilson (1846–1911), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona Territory
  • John Henry Wilson (Kentucky politician) (1846–1923), lawyer and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1889–1893
  • John L. Wilson (1850–1912), U.S. Senator from Washington State
  • John Haden Wilson (1867–1946), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
  • John H. Wilson (Hawaii politician) (1871–1956), mayor of Honolulu, Hawaii
  • John Wilson (Arkansas politician) (?–1865), Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1836 to 1837
  • John H. Wilson (Arizona politician), member of the Arizona House of Representatives, 1949–1950
  • John J. Wilson (1926–2015), member of the New Jersey General Assembly
  • John Wilson (Texas politician) (1939-1982), member of the Texas House and Senate who was elected despite being dead
  • John A. Wilson (politician) (1943–1993), member of the Council of the District of Columbia
  • John Wilson (Kansas politician) (born 1983), member of the Kansas House of Representatives

Other countries

  • Sir John Cracroft Wilson (1808–1881), British civil servant in India, farmer and politician in New Zealand
  • Bowie Wilson (John Bowie Wilson, 1820–1883), member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
  • John Nathaniel Wilson (1822–1897), member of the New Zealand Legislative Council
  • John Wilson (New Zealand mayor) (1867–1953), New Zealand businessman and mayor of Dunedin
  • John Wilson (Irish politician) (1923–2007), Irish politician
  • John N. Wilson (fl. 1952–1962), Indian politician

Religion

  • John Wilson (Dean of Ripon) (1586–1635), English Anglican priest and Dean of Ripon Minster, 1624–1634
  • John Wilson (Puritan minister) (1591–1667), Puritan minister of the Boston Church in Massachusetts
  • John Wilson (Scottish missionary) (1804–1875), Scottish missionary, educationalist, a founding father of Bombay
  • John Marius Wilson (1805–1885), Scottish clergyman and writer
  • John Alexander Wilson (missionary) (1809–1887), English Anglican missionary
  • John Leighton Wilson (1809–1885), American missionary to West Africa
  • John Wilson (Caddo) (1840–1901), leader in the Native American Church movement of the late 19th century
  • John Wilson (Scottish priest) (1849–1926), Provost of St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh
  • John Wilson (Royal Navy chaplain) (1890–1949), Anglican priest and Chaplain of the Fleet, 1943–1948
  • Leonard Wilson (John Leonard Wilson, 1897–1970), Anglican bishop of Singapore
  • John Wilson (bishop) (born 1968), Roman Catholic archbishop of Southwark, England

Sports

Baseball

  • John Wilson (1910s pitcher) (1890–1954), Washington Senators
  • John Wilson (1920s pitcher) (1903–1980), Boston Red Sox

Cricket

  • John Wilson (Yorkshire cricketer) (1857–1931), English cricketer
  • John Wilson (Tasmania cricketer) (1868–1906), Australian cricketer
  • John Wilson (New South Wales cricketer) (born 1947), Australian cricketer
  • John Wilson (New Zealand cricketer) (born 1957), New Zealand cricketer

Football

  • John Wilson (footballer, born 1889) (1889–1914), Scottish footballer
  • John "Weenie" Wilson (fl. 1933–1968), American football player and multi-sport coach
  • John Wilson (footballer, born 1914) (1914–1988), English footballer, 1930s inside right for Port Vale
  • John Wilson (footballer, born 1934), English footballer, 1950s full back for Norwich and Chesterfield
  • John Wilson (Australian footballer) (1940–2019), Australian rules footballer for Richmond
  • John Wilson (footballer, born 1952), English footballer, 1970s midfielder for Darlington
  • John Wilson (soccer) (born 1977), American soccer player
  • John Parker Wilson (born 1985), American football player

Rugby

  • John Skinner Wilson (rugby union) (1884–1916), Trinidad-born rugby player who represented Scotland
  • John Howard Wilson (1930–2015), Scottish rugby union player
  • John Wilson (New Zealand rugby league) (fl. 1972–1977), New Zealand rugby league international
  • John Wilson (rugby league, born 1978), France international rugby league footballer

Other sports

  • John Wilson (cyclist) (1876–1957), British Olympic road racing cyclist and rugby league administrator
  • John Wilson (sport shooter) (1879–1940), Dutch sport shooter
  • John Wilson (speedway rider) (born 1941), motorcycle speedway rider
  • John Wilson (angler) (1943–2018), British angler
  • John Wilson (sprinter) (born 1948), English sprinter
  • Jocky Wilson (John Thomas Wilson, 1950–2012), Scottish darts player
  • John Wilson (golfer) (born 1959), American professional golfer
  • John Wilson (boxer) (born 1972), Scottish boxer
  • John Wilson (basketball) (born 1987), Filipino basketball player

Other

  • John Wilson, an alias of John Smith (housebreaker) (c. 1661–after 1727), English housebreaker
  • John Macaulay Wilson (fl. 1794–1827), African king and doctor
  • John W. Wilson (1815–1883), Belgian art collector and businessman
  • John West Wilson (1816–1889), British/Swedish businessman and arts patron
  • John Wilson (philanthropist) (1826–1900), Irish-born pioneer of the American West
  • John Wilson (businessman) (1829–1909), New Zealand farmer, soldier, judge
  • J. S. Wilson (John Skinner Wilson, 1888–1969), Scottish scouting organizer
  • Sir John Wilson, 2nd Baronet (1898–1975), Keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection
  • John C. Wilson (1899–1961), Broadway producer and director
  • John Wilson (blind activist) (1919–1999), founder of International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness
  • Jock Wilson (police officer) (John Spark Wilson, 1922–1993), British police officer
  • John S. Wilson (economist) (born 1956), American economist at the World Bank
  • John Wilson (broadcaster) (born 1965), British journalist and broadcaster

Other uses

  • John Wilson (ice skating company), a British company
  • John Wilson Orchestra, formed by British conductor John Wilson in 1994
  • John W. Wilson, a GWR 3031 Class locomotive on the Great Western Railway in 1891–1915, renamed Walter Robinson in 1901

See also

  • John S. Wilson (disambiguation)
  • John Skinner Wilson (disambiguation)
  • Johnny Wilson (disambiguation)
  • Jonathan Wilson (disambiguation)
  • Jack Wilson (disambiguation)
  • Jock Wilson (disambiguation)
  • John Waterloo Wilson (disambiguation)
  • John Wilson Walton-Wilson (1823–1910), English architect