Born in Trenton, New Jersey Wilson started out his working life as a stockbroker. He married Natalia Pavlovna Paley on September 8, 1937 in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was a marriage of convenience.
Wilson, from Trenton, New Jersey, initially pursued a career as a stockbroker before marrying Natalia Pavlovna Paley on September 8, 1937 in Fairfield, Connecticut. The union was a pragmatic decision.