James Wilson was one of two Scottish natives to sign the Declaration of Independence and was one of six men to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Despite his political and legal success, he had financial issues near the end of his life.
Wilson was born in Fife, Scotland, on September 14, 1742. He
was the son of William and Aleson (Landale) Wilson. His family expected him to
become a minister. He studied at multiple universities throughout Scotland from
a young age but never obtained a degree. Despite this, he was still in a better
educational position than most immigrants to America.
In 1763, Wilson immigrated to America. He studied law and practiced
for a short time before becoming politically involved with the Revolutionary
War. He was a frequent delegate to the Second Continental Congress,
representing Pennsylvania. In 1774, Wilson was the head of the Carlisle
Committee of Correspondence.
Also in 1774, Wilson published his pamphlet, “Considerations
on the Nature and Extent of the Legislative Authority of the British Parliament.”
He argued that the colonists were promoting genuine British constitutionalism
and were victimized by corruption.
After the Declaration of Independence was signed, he aided
in composing and ratifying the Constitution. For a decade following this, he sought to
achieve his dream of great wealth by speculating “in bank shares, land warrants,
and similar ventures” (Gale In Context: Biography). Although he enjoyed this
endeavor, he was unsuccessful, and it would lead to financial problems
throughout his life.
He received a law professorship, and in 1789, George
Washington made him a justice of the United States Supreme Court, where he
favored the nationalistic position. In “Chisholm v. Georgia (1793),” he
believed that “states were as liable to a 'controlling judiciary’ as an
individual citizen” (Gale).
Despite his significance and success, his life was not without hardship. He struggled financially, to the point that he was imprisoned for debt during his tenure in the Supreme Court. During the winter of 1796-1797, he fled to escape imprisonment. Ultimately, he was caught and imprisoned for a defaulted debt of $197,000. In 1798, at the age of 55, Wilson suffered a fatal stroke.