Constituency : Hull 1874-85, Hull West 1885-1906
Charles recovered the 1873 by-election loss of one of the Hull seats.
Charles was the eldest son of the prominent shipping magnate Thomas Wilson. He was educated at Kingston College and went into the firm eventually becoming joint manager with his brother. They extended the business from operating in Scandinavian waters to Southern Europe, America and India. He was involved in some bitter industrial disputes. He was a director of the North Eastern Railway but later criticised it for trying to take away the port of Hull's trade. He v built the Seamen's Mission in Hull in 1866.
Charles was a strong pacifist. He opposed to the Boer War but despite this allowed the government to use his finest ship the Ariosto. He was in favour of temperance.
In 1878 Charles bought the Warter Priory estate and turned it into one of the top pheasant shooting venues. He also had an estate near Balmoral and a chalet in Nice.
In 1880 Charles received some instructions from his local party. His response was "There is no inducement for me to be in Parliament unless I have the sympathy and confidence of my supporters; and I beg you will convey to the Liberal Association my sense of undesirable relations which would exist between us if my conduct is to be criticized and my course of action dictated in such a fashion".
Charles retired in favour of his son of the same name in 1906.
He was elevated to the peerage as Baron Nunburnholme but died the following year aged 74 two weeks after suffering a heart attack.
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