Home Best of 2026 The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People's Constitution

The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People's Constitution

by Wegman, Jesse

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Book Overview "With insight and eloquence, Jesse Wegman has done heroic work in bringing a vital but obscure architect of America back into the popular...

"With insight and eloquence, Jesse Wegman has done heroic work in bringing a vital but obscure architect of America back into the popular conversation. As Wegman amply proves, James Wilson merits our reconsideration―and our gratitude." ―Jon Meacham

New York Times
journalist Jesse Wegman tells the story of James Wilson, a Founding Father whose bold vision shaped American democracy but whose legacy was lost to scandal.

As a young lawyer, James Wilson made a celebrated case for American independence in an essay that inspired the famous words "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." He wrote the first draft of the Constitution and, along with the more famous James Madison, played perhaps the essential role in its ultimate creation.

Wilson believed that the people are the ultimate source of all power. He argued successfully for a strong central government and a powerful presidency, and fought unsuccessfully for a direct vote for the president and the Senate. Appointed as a justice to the first Supreme Court, he was later brought down by reckless land speculation and died of malaria in the back room of a North Carolina tavern while hiding from his creditors.

Instead of being remembered as one of the nation's great political thinkers, Wilson was virtually written out of history. But in The Lost Founder, Wegman brings to life the most prescient of the earliest patriots and makes a convincing argument that scandal should not diminish the life and impact of a brilliant, complicated man whose vision for his country could not be more relevant today.

Book Details Format: Hardcover | Publisher: CELADON BOOKS | ISBN: 1250851076
FormatHardcover
ISBN1250851076
EAN9781250851079
PublisherCELADON BOOKS
Publication Date2026-06-23
AccessoriesNo Accessory
ConditionNew
Product TypeHARD COVER BOOKS
Weight1.28 Pounds
Length9.47 Inches
Width6.38 Inches
Height1.35 Inches
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