John C. Wilson

John Cowles Wilson, a former Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and a former President (now called “Chair”) of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, passed away peacefully at Piedmont Hospital on Saturday night, March 8, 2014.

A fifth-generation Georgian and a native Atlantan, John was one of the original members of the Fritz Orr Club. He attended E. Rivers School and North Fulton High School where he was an Eagle Scout. He attended Emory University, where he was a member of the Chi Phi Fraternity and elected to The Phi Beta Kappa Society. When he was nineteen years old and before graduating from Emory, he convinced Harvard Business School to grant him admission. John was graduated from Harvard in 1943 with a Masters in Business Administration Magna Cum Laude and as a George F. Baker Scholar. While at Harvard, he served as president of the Century Club, a student leadership organization.

Following his graduation from Harvard, he served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps, primarily as the executive officer of the Contracts Division, Boston Quartermaster Depot. He received an Honorable Discharge in 1946, and returned to Atlanta to complete his undergraduate education at Emory.

In 1946, John went to work for Horne-Wilson, Inc., a wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating and air-conditioning products to the construction industry, becoming president and chief executive officer in 1962. Under his leadership, Horne-Wilson was selected in 1965 by Supply House Times as Wholesaler of the Year in the United States. Horne-Wilson was sold to I.U. Corporation in 1974. John then became president and chief executive officer of Multimart Corporation, established for international trade, research and consultation and overseas distribution for U.S. products and manufacturers, from 1975 through 2007. Multimart was sold to OmniMart Corporation in 2007.

John loved Atlanta and sought to improve his city. He was a director of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce from 1968 to 1978 and president of that organization in 1970. As president, he tried to foster Atlanta as the next great international city, serving as chairman of the International Air Routes Task Force in 1971, which was successful in bringing about changes in treaties and opening Atlanta’s airport to inaugural international routes. John also served as Chairman of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s International Task Force in 1980. He was president of the Georgia International Congress Center, the predecessor to the Georgia World Congress Center, from 1970 to 1972. He served on the District Export Council for the United States Department of Commerce for ten years starting in 1977 and on the board of trustees of the Beck Foundation and its predecessor since 1959. A founding member of the International Council of Georgia, Inc., John also served as a founding director of the World Trade Club Atlanta, which assumed the council’s activities. John received the Consular Corps of Atlanta Award in 1970 for his outstanding contribution to international understanding and the World Trade Council Award as Citizen of the Year in International Trade in 1971. He received the 1983 Governor’s International Award for International Service for his service to global business in Georgia.

John also gave of his time and service to a number of civic organizations. He was Deputy Chairman (1968-1971) and Chairman (1972-1973) of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He was a member of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve System of the United States from 1969 to 1973. From 1985 to 1989, John served as a member of the Bretton Woods Committee, a nonpartisan network of global citizens which works to demonstrate the value of international economic cooperation and to foster strong, effective Bretton Woods institutions. He also was president of Community Chest and later of United Appeal, the predecessors to United Way.

John served on the Board of Directors of Bank South Corporation and Bank South, N.A. from 1965 to 1991, except for his stint with the Federal Reserve Bank, including serving as its interim chief executive officer from June through August, 1991. John also served on the board of directors of Haverty Furniture Companies, Inc. from 1975 to 1992. John was a member and director of the Commerce Club of Atlanta and the Capital City Club, a member of the Nine O’Clocks, and a member and director of the Piedmont Driving Club, including a term as the Piedmont Driving Club’s president.

John firmly believed in the value of education. He served as a trustee of Agnes Scott College from 1972 to 1982, as a member of Emory University’s Board of Visitors, on the Shorter College School of Business Board of Advisors, and as a trustee and emeritus trustee for The Westminster Schools. He inherited his love for fishing from his father, Charles Berkeley Wilson, and his love for dogs and nature from his mother, Laura Shorter Cowles Wilson. Some of his happiest days were spent on the Homosassa River as a life-long member of the Homosassa Fishing Club.

John was a man of faith. He was reared in the Methodist Church, but he and his family joined First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta in the 1950s. For many years, he attended the Berean Bible Class at First Presbyterian and is a former Deacon of the church.

John loved and was utterly devoted to his wife, the former Margaret Eugenia (Jean) Creekmore of Athens, Georgia, their children and grandchildren. His survivers include, besides his wife of sixty-five years, his children, Caroline Creekmore Wilson Spangenberg and Scott Spangenberg, Charles Berkeley (Berke) Wilson II and Linda Coates Wilson, Laura Ross Wilson Blackburn and William Stanley (Stan) Blackburn, and his eight grandchildren, John Cowles Wilson II, William Hodge (Bill) Blackburn II, Mary Cason Wilson Given and Christian Given, Thomas Craig Spangenberg, Charles Berkeley Wilson III, Margaret Eugenia (Maggie) Blackburn, Sarah Creekmore Spangenberg, and Chase Fitzhugh Wilson.

The family expresses profound appreciation to his care-givers, Charles Catalina, Felix Manford, George Washington, and Junior Charlot. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to a charity of your choice.

Private services will be held at Arlington Memorial Park on Wednesday, March 12, and a memorial service at H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill Chapel, on Thursday, March 13 at 11:00 A.M., with reception following. Online condolences may be made at hmpattersonspringhill.com.