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+--- Thread: The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People's Constitution (/showthread.php?tid=9029)
The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People's Constitution - thatguy - 10-23-2026
By Jesse Wegman
I heard an interview with the author on NPR end of last year or early this year. I have a little interest in the American Revolution and it sounded interesting, so I checked it out from the library.
The biography tracks Wilson from his youth and studies in Edinburgh to coming to the colonies and setting up shop as a lawyer, pre-Revolution. His practice grows and eventually he's a well paid, well sought after attorney. He's one of the few signers of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He helped draft the founding documents and was responsible for the "We the people of" part of the preamble. He was also partially responsible for the 3/5ths compromise and the electoral college. There a lot of repeated messaging about his character flaws, I think to explain why he's "forgotten". He did a lot of land speculation, constantly borrowing large sums of money and was on the run from creditors towards the end of his life. The messaging paints him as an important and sympathetic character and yet also an asshole.
The interview made it sound like he was forgotten, but the author goes on to explain in the epilogue that he was researching the electoral college and kept coming across this unfamiliar name, but then references other works that detail Wilson's life/work.
Not particularly recommended unless you are into constitutional law, the founding of the nation, etc...
--tg