Omar Bennett
James Wilson was 44 years old when he signed the US Constitution in 1787. He was a colonial American lawyer, political theorist, and legal scholar who played a crucial role in the founding of the nation. Wilson was a dominant figure in the Constitutional Convention, where he was a leading voice in support of greater popular control of governance, a strong national government, and proportional legislative representation. He was also one of only six people to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 14 September 1742 |
| Age when he signed the Constitution | 44-45 |
| Date of Death | 21 August 1798 |
| Age at Death | 55 |
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What You'll Learn
James Wilson's life and career
James Wilson was 44 or 45 years old when he signed the United States Constitution in 1787. Born in 1742 in Fife, Scotland, Wilson immigrated to North America in 1765 after spending four and a half years at the University of St. Andrews. He taught Greek and rhetoric at the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania) and studied law under John Dickinson, a leading colonial lawyer and delegate to the First Continental Congress.
Wilson's fame spread with the publication in 1774 of his treatise "Considerations on the Nature and Extent of the Legislative Authority of the British Parliament." In this work, he proposed a scheme of empire in which the British colonies would have the equivalent of dominion status. That same year, he became a member of the Committee of Correspondence in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and served as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He was a leading voice in convincing the Pennsylvania delegation to vote in favour of independence.
In the period before the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Wilson juggled his law practice and political duties. He served as Philadelphia financier Robert Morris's principal legal adviser and took on key cases, such as the 1782 Wyoming Valley litigation, which dealt with the disputed border between Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Wilson won the case as Pennsylvania's Attorney General, but it convinced him that the federal government needed a Supreme Court to resolve issues between states.
At the Constitutional Convention, Wilson played a crucial role in drafting the U.S. Constitution. He advocated for a unitary executive elected through an electoral college system and proposed the infamous Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a whole person for representation purposes. Wilson also helped frame the presidency and judiciary and influenced Thomas Jefferson's promises in the Declaration of Independence.
After the Constitutional Convention, Wilson continued to shape American law and politics. He led the fight for ratification of the Constitution in Pennsylvania and engineered the drafting of the state's new constitution in 1790. He delivered a series of lectures that are considered landmarks in the evolution of American jurisprudence. Wilson was appointed an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1789, serving until his death in 1798. Despite his accomplishments, Wilson's financial ruin and excessive land speculation harmed his reputation and distracted him from his duties in his later years.
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Wilson's role in drafting the Constitution
James Wilson was 44 or 45 years old when he signed the Constitution in 1787. He was born in 1742 in Fife, Scotland, and immigrated to North America in 1765.
Wilson was a colonial American lawyer and political theorist. He was a leading voice in convincing the Pennsylvania delegation to the Second Continental Congress to vote in favour of independence in May 1775. He served as Philadelphia financier Robert Morris's principal legal adviser and successfully argued the 1782 Wyoming Valley litigation, which dealt with the disputed border between Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Wilson's distinct theory of the Constitution presupposed the existence of national powers outside of enumerated powers that were based on popular sovereignty. He was a major participant in drafting the U.S. Constitution and was one of only six people to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Wilson was a member of the Committee of Detail, which produced the first draft of the Constitution. He was the principal architect of the executive branch of the federal government and helped frame the presidency and judiciary, including the Electoral College. He also helped negotiate several compromises related to slavery in the Constitution, including the infamous Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a whole person for representation purposes.
Wilson also influenced Thomas Jefferson's famous promises in the Declaration of Independence. He was one of the first six justices on the Supreme Court, and his "Lectures on Law" helped lay the foundation for American legal principles. He was appointed an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1789 and served until his death in 1798. During his time on the court, he also taught law at the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania).
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Wilson's influence on the presidency
James Wilson was 44 or 45 years old when he signed the Constitution in 1787. He was born in 1742 in Fife, Scotland, and immigrated to North America in 1765.
Wilson was also instrumental in shaping the Electoral College, which was adopted as the method of selecting the president. He was a strong supporter of a truly national government and was deeply knowledgeable about political theory and the history of government. His influence extended to the Supreme Court as well, where he served as an associate justice and helped lay the foundation for American legal principles. He was also the main architect behind Pennsylvania's Constitution of 1790 and delivered a series of lectures on law, which were attended by President Washington, Vice President John Adams, and other prominent figures.
Wilson's career reached its peak at the Constitutional Convention, where his influence was second only to Madison's. He was a dedicated supporter of a strong national government and played a crucial role in resolving issues related to the presidency and presidential elections. Wilson's ideas and contributions to the Constitution and the presidency were significant, but his financial troubles and land speculation later in life harmed his reputation and distracted him from his duties. Despite this, his influence on the presidency and the early government of the United States was profound and helped shape the country's future.
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Wilson's other political and legal roles
James Wilson was 44 or 45 when he signed the US Constitution in 1787. Now, here is some detailed information about Wilson's other political and legal roles:
Wilson immigrated to North America from Scotland in 1765 or 1766 and became a teacher at the College of Philadelphia. He then studied law under John Dickinson, a leading colonial lawyer and delegate to the First Continental Congress, and was admitted to the bar, setting up a legal practice in Reading, Pennsylvania. Wilson's fame spread with the publication, in 1774, of his treatise "Considerations on the Nature and Extent of the Legislative Authority of the British Parliament". In this work, he set out a scheme of empire in which the British colonies would have the equivalent of dominion status. In the same year, he became a member of the Committee of Correspondence in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and served as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress.
In 1775, Wilson was elected to the Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence the following year. He was one of six people to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. During the war, he took a position as advocate general for France in America from 1779 to 1783, dealing with commercial and maritime matters and legally defending Loyalists and their sympathizers. He also became a champion of the Bank of North America and an associate of merchant banker Robert Morris in his struggle for currency reform.
In 1783, 1785, and 1786, Wilson was a member of the federal Congress, where he pressed for an amendment to the Articles of Confederation to permit Congress to levy a general tax. He was a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where he was a member of the Committee of Detail which produced the first draft of the Constitution. He was the principal architect of the executive branch of the federal government and was an outspoken supporter of greater participatory democracy and a strong national government. Wilson also successfully proposed a unitary executive elected through an electoral college system and negotiated the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a whole person for the purposes of congressional representation.
In 1790, Wilson engineered the drafting of Pennsylvania's new constitution and delivered a series of lectures that are considered landmarks in the evolution of American jurisprudence. He was appointed an associate justice of the US Supreme Court in 1789 and served in that role until his death in 1798. He was the first professor of law at the College of Philadelphia, which later became the University of Pennsylvania.
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Wilson's personal life and death
James Wilson was born on September 14, 1742, in Fife, Scotland, and died on August 21, 1798, at the age of 55. He immigrated to North America in 1765, after spending four and a half years at the University of St. Andrews. In his early years in America, he taught Greek and rhetoric at the College of Philadelphia and studied law under John Dickinson, a leading colonial lawyer and delegate to the First Continental Congress. Wilson's fame spread with the publication, in 1774, of his treatise "Considerations on the Nature and Extent of the Legislative Authority of the British Parliament." In this work, he proposed a scheme of empire in which the British colonies would have the equivalent of dominion status.
Wilson was a rising leader who served as Philadelphia financier Robert Morris's principal legal adviser and took on key cases, such as the 1782 Wyoming Valley litigation deal with the disputed border between Pennsylvania and Connecticut. He also served as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. During the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Wilson played a crucial role in drafting the U.S. Constitution and led the fight for its ratification in Pennsylvania. He helped shape the presidency and judiciary, including the Electoral College, and crafted the Three-Fifths Compromise, which counted enslaved people as three-fifths of a whole person for representation purposes.
In 1790, Wilson engineered the drafting of Pennsylvania's new constitution and delivered a series of lectures that significantly influenced American jurisprudence. He was appointed an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1789 and served until his death in 1798. However, his time on the Supreme Court was marred by financial difficulties, unwise land speculation, and tremendous debts, which ultimately led to his imprisonment in New Jersey and again in North Carolina upon his return. He died in poverty in a tavern in Edenton, North Carolina, from malaria.
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Frequently asked questions
James Wilson was 44 years old when he signed the Constitution in 1787.
James Wilson was a delegate at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where he was a member of the Committee of Detail, which produced the first draft of the Constitution. He was a vocal supporter of greater participatory democracy, a strong national government, and proportional legislative representation based on population.
James Wilson signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, making him one of only six people to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
James Wilson was a colonial American lawyer, legal scholar, jurist, and political theorist. He was also a professor of law at the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania).
James Wilson died in 1798 at the age of 55.
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