Answer: James Wilson

James Wilson (1742-1789) was one of Pennsylvania's leading politicians during the nation's founding years. Wilson entered politics in the 1770s. In 1774, he accepted the chair of Carlisle, Pennsylvania’s committee of correspondence. The next year, he was elected to the Continental Congress, where he sat on military and Indian affairs committees. He went on to sign the Declaration of Independence for Pennsylvania and eventually helped frame the United States Constitution. In 1789, he was appointed to the United States Supreme Court by President George Washington. A year later, he became the College of Philadelphia's first professor of law. He died while visiting a friend in North Carolina, where he was buried in 1798. His body was moved to Christ Church burial grounds in Philadelphia in 1906.

Wilson wrote, by hand, the earliest known copies of the U. S. Constitution.  After submitting the first draft, which was written by Wilson, the Constitutional Convention recessed for 10 days while the Committee of Detail reviewed the document.  After making several revisions, Wilson re-wrote the constitution. This version of the document was sent to the printer; but even this printed version had to be further revised.  On September 17, 1787, the delegates of the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia and approved and signed the Constitution.

HSP owns several different handwritten and printed copies of the U. S. Constitution, including the earliest surviving versions by James Wilson.  Currently, these documents can be viewed at the National Constitution Center in its exhibit, American Treasures: Documenting the Nation’s Founding, which runs through Fall 2017.