Video: 'Top 5 Vice Presidents in American History' (Henry Wilson @ 4:17)

(Sunday, February 16, 1812) — Henry Wilson, the 18th vice president of the United States, who served from 1873 until his death in 1875 during the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, was born Jeremiah Jones Colbath today in Farmington, New Hampshire.

A U.S. Senator from Massachusetts from 1855 to 1873, Wilson was known throughout his career for championing causes that were at times unpopular, including workers’ rights for both blacks and whites and the abolition of slavery.