Before he wore four stars as the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, Louis H. Wilson, Jr. was a boy in Brandon, Mississippi, lighting the church furnace on chilly Sunday mornings and selling vegetables in town in his homemade wagon.
Born on February 11, 1920, Wilson quickly found himself with more responsibility than most boys his age. His father, a subsistence farmer, died when he was only five. He quickly became the man of the house, taking on many duties including feeding the chickens and tending to the garden.
“Many of my father’s values and character traits came from his childhood in Brandon,” said Janet Taylor, Wilson’s daughter. “The words I would use to describe my father’s values, quality and character are resilience, leadership, readiness, teamwork, forward-thinking, high expectations and humor.”
Wilson arrived at Millsaps in 1937. He studied economics, became a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and ran track. On top of that, he even managed the football team.
“Millsaps was his first time living away from home and he thought the world of his roommates, classmates and teachers,” Taylor said. “It was at Millsaps that he met the love of his life, Jane Clark.”
Characterized by Service
Following graduation, Wilson enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, not long before the nation entered World War II. The relationships and memories he formed at Millsaps stayed with him. Dr. Key, president of Millsaps College during his freshman year, served as an important role model for him. “He said Dr. Key was the epitome of power and knowledge, and that he had his complete respect,” she said. “I think dad remembered this when he became Commandant because so many young Marines felt about him as he had about President Key.
“It [his degree] was a prized possession and useful tool to him throughout his military career and life,” Taylor said. As he advanced, people would assume that he went to the United States Naval Academy, to which he would respond, “No, I went to Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. I paid for my education and I got a good one.”
Early in his military career, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his leadership and courage during the Battle of Guam. “When asked about the honor, he often responded, ‘I had a good company. They did the work, and I got the credit,’” Taylor said. “I think the Medal of Honor weighed heavily on him. He wore it for his company, and most of them are buried in Guam.”
When his fellow Marines would complain that life was difficult, he would respond, “Every day in the Marine Corps is like a Sunday on the farm.”
Janet recalls being taught to climb a rope – hand over hand without using her feet – and running the obstacle course at Quantico. “He’d have me shimmy up and down the rope climb, turn and say to the Marines, ‘Even my little four-year-old daughter can do it’,” she said.
Wilson advanced through the ranks and was eventually selected as the Commandant of the Marine Corps, a position he served in until his retirement in 1979. He died in 2005.
A Living Legacy
At Millsaps, his legacy is tangible. After retiring from the military, he served on the board at Merrill Lynch, a position where his economics degree served him well. In 1987, under his guidance, the Merrill Lynch Foundation donated $50,000 for a student-led investment portfolio, appropriately named the Louis Wilson Fund.
For decades, business students have used this fund to take on the roles of analysts and managers, making real investment decisions. The fund recently surpassed the $1 million mark.
Recently, his legacy took on a new dimension. On September 27, 2025, the Navy officially christened the warship, USS General Louis. H. Wilson, Jr. Taylor smashed a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow in the company of the current Commandant of the Marine Corps and the Governor of Maine, among others.
Janet Taylor, middle, christening the USS Louis H. Wilson
“It is overwhelming to this day,” Taylor said. “Memories fade, and the fact that his name will now be tied to a warship for the next 30-40 years means that he was not forgotten and that his achievements have increased in significance.”
There’s even a piece of Millsaps on board the ship. “There is a Millsaps logo golf ball now in the mast stepping box welded to the bottom of the main mast, not to be opened until the ship is decommissioned 30-50 years from now,” said Jarry Taylor, Wilson’s son-in-law. “Millsaps can be proud she’s sailing along with this ship for all its deployments and actions!”
Jarry Taylor, left, and Janet Taylor, right, posing in front of Millsaps’ General Louis H. Wilson painting
Looking ahead, Janet Taylor hopes that future generations will remember him not just for medals or titles, but for his character: “I want the ship to have Dad’s spirit, character and fortitude running through it,” she said.
As we honor Veterans Day and the United States Marine Corps’ 250th birthday this week, we remember and celebrate the life of General Louis H. Wilson.
Today, Millsaps honors a man whose life defines what it means to lead with purpose. As the USS Louis Wilson, Jr. moves toward commissioning, his story reminds us that a foundation built at a small college in Mississippi can carry forward into global waters, proof that the values of Millsaps can inspire generations far beyond its shores.
