John Wilson

John T. Wilson (September 7, 1939 – September 19, 1982) was a Texas politician from La Grange, Texas who served four terms in the Texas House of Representatives and one in the Texas Senate representing District 18. He was known for his work on energy matters. He died of lung cancer on September 19, 1982, at the age of 43. Two months later, he was re-elected despite being dead.

Career John Wilson was a rancher and businessman from La Grange, Texas. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1972 and served three additional terms, each time running unopposed. The Secretary of State David Dean disagreed with the State Democratic Executive Committee chair, C. R. Slagle III, over how to handle the situation, with Dean believing the deadline had passed and Slagle believing that Wilson's name could still be removed from the ballot. After Wilson won the election despite being dead, a special election was held to fill his upcoming role. Another election was held to finish the last two months of John Wilson's current term of office.

Spokesman Taber Ward from the Republican headquarters in Austin stated "There's no requirement in Texas for a candidate to be alive, except before the filing deadline."