Wilson Shannon attended Ohio University, Franklin College, and Transylvania University before being admitted to the bar in 1830. He began his career as a prosecuting attorney for Belmont County and later ran for U.S. House of Representatives, losing by a narrow margin. Shannon was elected governor of Ohio in 1838 and served two non-consecutive terms. He transitioned to federal appointments, including serving as Minister to Mexico and later as Governor of the Kansas Territory, where he faced significant challenges in maintaining order. Shannon's career highlights his experience in both state and federal governance, marked by his use of federal troops and his difficulties in managing the turbulent Kansas Territory.

Wilson Shannon's political career is marked by a blend of Southern sympathies and a struggle with the ungovernable chaos of the Kansas Territory. His tenure as governor of Ohio and the Kansas Territory reveals a man who grappled with the complexities of federal intervention and regional conflict. Shannon's rhetorical flair, evident in his quip about governing Kansas, suggests a candid acknowledgment of the near-impossible challenges he faced. His approach to governance, characterized by the use of federal troops and a reluctance to intervene in local conflicts, indicates a deeply calculated and perhaps ideologically flexible stance on state versus federal authority.