Success
During his time in the navy, he was acquainted with a German textile manufacturer who asked him to introduce lace-making machines to the U.S. From then on, Wilson built what became his own successful lace-making business.
Since that time, most of the lace production moved from the West to China, where labor is cheaper. However, his company has managed to stay afloat. It still owns 45 of the 70 machines currently producing lace in America.