James Wilson

James Wilson

(1742-1798)


James Wilson was born and educated in Scotland.  

He arrived in America in 1765, where he taught and studied law.  

He set up a legal practice in Pennsylvania.  

Wilson was active in the revolutionary effort, voting for independence and signing the Declaration.  

After the war,  he defended loyalists and their sympathizers.  

Wilson's shift to conservatism angered many people in Pennsylvania, but by the 1780s, Wilson was again elected to the Continental Congress.  

He was an influential delegate to the Philadelphia Convention, where he spoke even more often than James Madison.  

Wilson led the ratification effort in Pennsylvania.  

In 1789, he was appointed to the Supreme Court.

[Back to list of framers]


About

CCE LogoThis site is brought to you by the Center for Civic Education. The Center's mission is to promote an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. The Center has reached more than 30 million students and their teachers since 1965. Learn more.

Center for Civic Education

5115 Douglas Fir Road, Suite J
Calabasas, CA 91302

  Phone: (818) 591-9321

  Email: web@civiced.org

  Media Inquiries: cce@civiced.org

  Website: www.civiced.org

© Center for Civic Education