David Wilmot was an American politician and lawyer born on February 7, 1814, in Pennsylvania. He is best known for the Wilmot Proviso, a proposal he introduced in 1846 that aimed to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico during the Mexican-American War. This proposal sparked significant debate and was a precursor to the growing tensions over slavery in the United States. Wilmot served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and later as a senator. He was a member of the Democratic Party but later aligned with the Republican Party as it emerged in the 1850s. Wilmot's efforts contributed to the national conversation about slavery and its expansion, influencing the political landscape leading up to the Civil War.