A Des Moines resident by 1914, Harry E. Wilson was a leader in the community in the 1920s and 1930s. He was among the men trained at Fort Des Moines as the first Black officers in World War I. He was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant and earned the Distinguished Service Cross.

Wilson participated in the NAACP in Des Moines and served on its executive committee. He was listed among those on the program for the installation of Rev. A. Ross Brent as pastor for the Maple Street Baptist Church on April 27, 1928. He remained a member of that church. Wilson’s funeral services were held there and he is buried in Glendale Cemetery.