- Born: January 20, 1814 in Bethany, Pennsylvania
- Parents: David Wilmot Sr. (farmer) and Ann Jemima Wilmot
- Spouse: Anna Morgan Wilmot
- Children: Several children including David Wilmot Jr.
- Died: March 16, 1868 in Towanda, Pennsylvania
- Highest Office: U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (1861-1863)
- Other Notable Positions: U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania state legislator, judge of the 13th Judicial District of Pennsylvania
- Party Affiliation: Democratic Party (early career), Free Soil Party, Republican Party (later career)
- Historical Note: Famous for introducing the Wilmot Proviso in 1846, which sought to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico during the Mexican-American War. Though it never became law, the proviso intensified sectional tensions over slavery and helped lead to the formation of the Republican Party.