James Wilson

He married for the second time in 1793. His second wife Hannah Gray gave birth to a son who died in childhood.

In spite of being a respectable public figure during his hey days, he spent his final years in misery. He suffered from financial problems and spent his last years escaping from creditors. He died at the age of 55 in 1798.

James Wilson was born to William Wilson and Alison Landall in Scotland. He had six siblings. His father was a hard working and respectable farmer.

He earned a scholarship to study at the United College of St. Salvator and St. Leonard at the University of St. Andrews when he was just 15. He had a profound interest in the study of philosophy and logic.

He graduated from St. Andrews in 1762 and continued his studies at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow where he studied about the great thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment period like Adam Smith, John Locke and David Hume.

In 1766, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and found a teaching position at The Academy and College of Philadelphia, now known as the University of Pennsylvania. He applied for a degree there and was given an honorary Master of Arts after some months.

He began to study law under the famous lawyer cum politician, John Dickinson, and was accepted into the bar in Philadelphia in 1767.

He established his own law practice in the city of Reading. With his intelligence and business acumen, his practice was soon very successful and he became quite wealthy.

His fame spread far and he handled cases from eight local counties. He returned to Philadelphia in 1770 and continued lecturing at The Academy and College of Philadelphia.

In 1774, he was elected as a member of the Committee of Correspondence at Carlisle. He published a pamphlet, "Considerations on the Nature and Extent of the Legislative Authority of the British Parliament" in which he argued that the British government had no right to pass laws for the American colonies.

As a politician, his biggest achievement is the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence on behalf of Pennsylvania in 1776. He was a brilliant lawyer who played a major role in framing the new Constitution of the U.S. in 1787.