- A Royal Marines officer, Conservative politician, and colonial governor.
- Served as Governor of Bombay from 1923 – 1926 and as Governor of Queensland from 1932 – 1946.
- An illustrious Masonic Journey from Oct 1891. He was the District Grand Master in 1923.
Personal life
- Born 1 August 1876
- Place London, England
- Nationality British
- Son of Henry Wilson and Ada Alexandrina (née Orme),
- Education St Michael’s School, Westgate, and St Paul’s School, London.
- Spouse Winifred May Smith
- Children Three (Two Sons and One Daughter
- Died 29 September 1955
- Location Chertsey, Surrey, England
- Cause Hit by a truck while walking in September 1955.
Military Career
- 1901 Achieved the rank of captain.
- 1903 – 1909 Served as ADC to the Governor of New South Wales
- 1914 – 1918 WW I Commanded the Hawke Battalion of the 63rd Royal Naval Division with the rank of temporary Lieutenant Colonel
- 2 Dec 1915 While carrying dispatches on the Greek ship Spetzia was captured by officers from a German submarine but escaped
Political Life
- 1910 – 1918 Stood for elections a number of times but was not fortunate
- 1919 – 1920 Appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Shipping
- 1921 – 1923 Served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and was also the Conservative Chief Whip. (under Bonar Law)
- 1922 Admitted to the Privy Council.
Governor of Bombay
- July 1923 1928 Resigned from this position and his seat in the House of Commons on his appointment as Governor of Bombay.
- 1929 Appointed Knight Grand Commander of The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India.
Governor of Queensland
- 1932 – 1946 Appointed as Governor of Queensland, one of the longest gubernatorial tenures in British history.
- 1932 – 1942 As the Chief Scout of The Boy Scouts Association’s Queensland Branch, resigned when he disagreed to make the Chief Commissioner of the Scouts a paid position.
- 1942 Sir Leslie Wilson retired at the end of his service as Governor of Queensland.
Freemasonry
- 1891 (13 Oct) Initiated in Lodge East & West No. 151 (Now named Lodge Albany – UGLE)
- 1903 Lodge Ionic No. 65 (Sydney)
- 1909 Navy Lodge No. 2612 (England)
- 1913 Senior Warden of the Lodge
- 1917 Worshipful Master
- 1919 (18 Jul) Primus Master of Old Pauline Lodge No. 3969 when consecrated
- 1922 Junior Grand Warden (United Grand Lodge of England)
- 1923 District Grand Master of Bombay
- 1926 Leslie Wilson Lodge No. 4880 E.C., consecrated under his name
First Grand Master of Queensland’s Grand Lodge serving for 12 years. A total of 47 Masonic Lodges, Halls, Chapters and Institutes named after Sir Leslie Orme Wilson exist across the British Commonwealth from the 20th century onwards.
Honours
- 1916 Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
- 1926 Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
- 1929 Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India
- 1937 Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
-
1902 During
Second Boer War,
where he was wounded
- Mentioned in Despatches
- Queen’s South Africa Medal
- Five clasps and the Distinguished Service Order